# Sarina Bolden

Sarina Isabel Calpo Bolden (born June 30, 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Como in Serie A. She represents the Philippines at international level.
Bolden holds the distinction of having scored the first-ever FIFA Women's World Cup goal for the Philippines. On July 25, 2023, Bolden scored a header against co-host New Zealand to clinch the country's historic first World Cup win.

## Early life and education

Sarina Isabel Bolden was born on June 30, 1996 in Santa Clara, California, U.S. to Sherry and Robert Bolden and has a younger brother. Her mother is from Pangasinan. Her father is African American. Sarina's parents are both into sports, although soccer is not their main discipline.
She attended Milpitas High School and later the Loyola Marymount University where she obtained a business degree which she intends to use as a backup to her sporting career.

## Youth career

She played for Milpitas High School's women's soccer and softball teams. With the Milpitas High School Trojans, Bolden led her high school soccer team to the 2015 SCVAL El Camino Division title. She was named as part of the first team All-SCVAL selection for three years from 2013 to 2015.
In the club level, Bolden played for MVLA Mercury Black '96 helping the club reach the 2014 ECNL National Playoffs and helped the De Anza Force '95 win the 2013 and 2015 ECNL North West Conference championships.

## Collegiate career

Bolden attended the Loyola Marymount University where she played for the school's women's soccer team. In 2016 she scored six goals for her college team and she was named as part of the All-West Coast Conference First Team and the NSCAA All-West Region.

## Club career

Bolden in 2020 played for Xinbei Hangyuan in the Taiwan Mulan Football League. She later played for the San Francisco Nighthawks of the Women's Premier Soccer League in the United States.
In June 2021, Bolden was signed in by Elfen Saitama of the WE League of Japan. She debuted in Saitama's 1–4 lost to Tokyo Verdy Beleza on October 10, 2021, after she was brought in as a substitute in the 62nd minute. Bolden, whose native language is English, was limited on her ability to connect with her teammates.
In December 2022, Bolden mutually terminated her contract with Elfen Saitama and transferred to Australian club Western Sydney Wanderers.
Ahead of the 2023–24 A-League Women season, it was understood that Western Sydney Wanderers didn't re-sign Bolden. Bolden says she received offers from various clubs, but she preferred to remain in the A-League and not make any "big, far moves abroad" at that point in her career. For the meantime, she largely relied on playing time with the Philippine national team to maintain her fitness.
After five rounds of the 2023–24 season, Bolden was signed by Newcastle Jets and played the match the day she was signed, scoring a brace. Head coach Gary van Egmond would invite Bolden to join the team.
In August 2024, Bolden signed a contract to play for a unnamed Italian club. Two weeks later, Como announced Bolden as their new player, signing a contract that will keep her with the club until June 30, 2026.

## International career

Bolden's performance with the Loyola Marymount University women's soccer team led to her being invited to participate in a training camp in Orlando, Florida in April 2017 which was organized by the United States women's national under-23 soccer team. In late 2017, she was able to participate in training camps organized by the Philippines women's national football team and caught the attention of Richard Boon, then head coach of the national team. She was later named in the final line up for the Philippine national team that participated at the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup.
In the Philippines' first group stage match against host Jordan, Bolden had her first international cap. She scored the winning goal for the Philippines in their 2–1 victory against the hosts.
Bolden was named in the lineup for the Philippine national team that participated at the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup. The Philippines advanced to the knockout stage of the AFC Women's Asian Cup for the first time. During the quarterfinals against Chinese Taipei, which ended in a penalty shoot-out following a 1–1 draw, Bolden scored the winning penalty which resulted in the Philippines qualifying for their first-ever FIFA Women's World Cup, the 2023 edition. On 25 July 2023, she scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over World Cup co-host New Zealand, to be her country's first ever goal and victory in the competition.
She would make her milestone 50th international cap after playing in a friendly against South Korea on April 5, 2024.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played November 10, 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Elfen Saitama | 2021–22 | WE League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Elfen Saitama | 2022–23 | WE League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Elfen Saitama | Total | Total | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | 2022–23 | A-League | 10 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 10 | 1 |
| Illawarra Stingrays | 2023 | National Premier Leagues | 6 | 5 | – | – | – | – | 6 | 5 |
| Newcastle Jets | 2023–24 | A-League | 20 | 14 | – | – | – | – | 20 | 14 |
| Como | 2024–25 | Serie A | 7 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 7 | 0 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 56 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 57 | 20 |
* ↑ Includes WE League Cup
* ↑ Statistics only include from 2021 with Elfen Saitama and onwards.

### International goals

    Scores and results list the Philippines' goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1. | April 6, 2018 | Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan | Jordan | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup |
| 2. | November 29, 2019 | Biñan Football Stadium, Biñan, Philippines | Malaysia | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2019 Southeast Asian Games |
| 3. | November 29, 2019 | Biñan Football Stadium, Biñan, Philippines | Malaysia | 3–0 | 5–0 | 2019 Southeast Asian Games |
| 4. | November 29, 2019 | Biñan Football Stadium, Biñan, Philippines | Malaysia | 4–0 | 5–0 | 2019 Southeast Asian Games |
| 5. | January 27, 2022 | Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune, India | Indonesia | 2–0 | 6–0 | 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup |
| 6. | May 9, 2022 | Cẩm Phả Stadium, Cẩm Phả, Vietnam | Cambodia | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2021 Southeast Asian Games |
| 7. | May 21, 2022 | Cẩm Phả Stadium, Cẩm Phả, Vietnam | Myanmar | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2021 Southeast Asian Games |
| 8. | June 23, 2022 | Terme Čatež, Brežice, Slovenia | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 9. | June 23, 2022 | Terme Čatež, Brežice, Slovenia | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 10. | July 6, 2022 | Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines | Singapore | 4–0 | 7–0 | 2022 AFF Women's Championship |
| 11. | July 10, 2022 | Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines | Indonesia | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2022 AFF Women's Championship |
| 12. | July 10, 2022 | Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines | Indonesia | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2022 AFF Women's Championship |
| 13. | July 10, 2022 | Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines | Indonesia | 4–1 | 4–1 | 2022 AFF Women's Championship |
| 14. | July 15, 2022 | Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines | Vietnam | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2022 AFF Women's Championship |
| 15. | July 15, 2022 | Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines | Vietnam | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2022 AFF Women's Championship |
| 16. | September 6, 2022 | Titan Stadium, Fullerton, United States | New Zealand | 1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 17. | April 5, 2023 | Hisor Central Stadium, Hisar, Tajikistan | Pakistan | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament |
| 18. | April 11, 2023 | Hisor Central Stadium, Hisar, Tajikistan | Hong Kong | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament |
| 19. | April 11, 2023 | Hisor Central Stadium, Hisar, Tajikistan | Hong Kong | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament |
| 20. | May 6, 2023 | RCAF Old Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia | Malaysia | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2023 Southeast Asian Games |
| 21. | May 9, 2023 | RSN Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia | Vietnam | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2023 Southeast Asian Games |
| 22. | July 25, 2023 | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand | New Zealand | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 23. | September 22, 2023 | Wenzhou Sports Center Stadium, Wenzhou, China | Hong Kong | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2022 Asian Games |
| 24. | September 25, 2023 | Wenzhou Sports Center Stadium, Wenzhou, China | South Korea | 1–0 | 1–5 | 2022 Asian Games |
| 25. | September 28, 2023 | Wenzhou Sports Center Stadium, Wenzhou, China | Myanmar | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2022 Asian Games |
| 26. | September 30, 2023 | Wenzhou Sports Center Stadium, Wenzhou, China | Japan | 1–3 | 1–8 | 2022 Asian Games |
| 27. | October 26, 2023 | Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth, Australia | Chinese Taipei | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament |
| 28. | October 26, 2023 | Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth, Australia | Chinese Taipei | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament |
| 29. | October 26, 2024 | Emirhan Sport Complex, Antalya, Turkey | Jordan | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2024 Pink Ladies Cup |
| 30. | October 26, 2024 | Emirhan Sport Complex, Antalya, Turkey | Jordan | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2024 Pink Ladies Cup |
| 31. | October 30, 2024 | Emirhan Sport Complex, Antalya, Turkey | Kenya | 1–2 | 1–4 | 2024 Pink Ladies Cup |

## Honors

Philippines
* Southeast Asian Games third place: 2021
* ASEAN Women's Championship: 2022
Individual
* PSA Annual Awards Ms. Football: 2024
* PSC–PCW Women in Sports Awards Athlete of the year: 2024

## Personal life

Bolden identifies as LGBT, describing herself as "gay" and a "queer woman". Her cousins Jalen Brown and Ryanne Brown are also professional footballers.