Ariana Markey, a first-year student at Seaver College and defender on the Pepperdine Waves soccer team, will spend her spring break in Australia competing with the Philippines’ women’s national soccer team for a place in the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, according to a Mar. 9 announcement.
While many college students use spring break to relax, Markey is preparing for high-level international competition as part of the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Asian Cup. The tournament offers teams a chance to qualify for the next World Cup, and Markey sees it as an opportunity to represent both her athletic ambitions and her family heritage.
Markey’s journey to international play began in high school when she joined the Philippines U20 team at age 15. She has since advanced to the senior national roster. Her recent experience includes scoring a decisive penalty kick during overtime at the Southeast Asian Games gold medal match against Vietnam in December 2025. “Of course there’s pressure, but for me, it feels more like excitement,” Markey said. “I wasn’t even supposed to take a PK in that game. I was seventh in line and the girl who was fifth asked, ‘Do you want to take the PK?’ I was like, ‘Heck yeah.’ Walking up to the ball, I was saying Bible verses to myself because it helps me take my mind off of the negative possibilities. It helped me focus on what God could do with the moment.”
The Philippines won their first-ever gold medal at those games after Markey scored her penalty kick. Reflecting on her dual identity as an athlete and representative of her family’s roots, she said: “I’ve been able to get much more deeply in touch with my Filipino side—the culture and its people—and now I understand what it means to represent a nation.”
At Pepperdine University, Markey played all 20 games during her first season and started six times as part of a squad that secured its second consecutive West Coast Conference Championship and third straight NCAA tournament appearance. Head coach Tim Ward praised her attitude: “Ari could have allowed her attitude to go south in the middle of the year… Ari, on the other hand, was incredibly positive, incredibly team centered. She showed up every day with an unbelievable attitude, positivity, a smile on her face, and undeniable work ethic.”
Looking ahead to Australia and beyond, Markey remains focused on helping make history for Philippine women’s soccer: “I’m hoping that in this upcoming tournament, we qualify for the World Cup,” she said. “That would be the Philippines’ second World Cup appearance, and I’m hoping that I can be a part of that history-making team.”
