Two Filipina players are now playing in the Italian Serie B after Eva Madarang recently signed with Roma Calcio Femminile.
This came shortly after national teammate Cathrine Graversen announced her arrival into the second-tier football league with ASD Calcio Pomigliano.
Madarang had a previous spell in England with the Doncaster Rovers Belles where she turned pro after college. She revealed in a recent interview that she made the switch to continue studying.
“My parents wanted me to get a master’s degree, a coaching license.
“I am going to be playing soccer anyway, so might as well do that,” she explained.
Madarang is taking up sports management at the American University of Rome, where its football program led to her recruitment by Roma CF.
Not to be confused with its more popular sister team AS Roma, is in the higher division, Roma CF at the moment only has three points on five outings. In the Coppa Italia, they are grouped with the top flight Roma and UPC Tavagnacco, and have already won against the latter.
“Coming to Italy and playing out here is fun. Meeting new people, learning different styles of play. It’s fun to learn more about the game than just playing in something that you’re comfortable with,” she added.
The 23-year-old national striker remains unfazed by numerous challenges which already include the language barrier; understanding and communicating with teammates; an unfamiliar football style; and moving to a different country in the midst of a global pandemic.
Her team is also in a tough spot after suffering a string of losses. Still, Madarang feels determined to turn things around.
“A goal of mine would definitely be to obviously do well in the league. I hope I can score some goals and have some assists to help my team move up, and hopefully get promoted to Serie A,” she said.
The California-based Pangasinense could still potentially face her national teammate Graversen in a rare match featuring two Filipinas in a league abroad, something the new Rome occupant finds ‘wild’.
“It was just interesting to see that Cathrine was here, I had no idea. I was like, whoa, what are the chances.”
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