Meet the student at Evansville's IU School of Medicine who played in the World Cup

EVANSVILLE — Ryley Bugay warmed up as the Philippines women’s national soccer team was on the cusp of history.

In its first FIFA Women's World Cup, the Philippines was leading co-host New Zealand 1-0 in the 83rd minute, closing in on one of the shocking results of this summer's tournament. Bugay was called over by her manager to receive last-minute instructions before she walked to the halfway line. Her nerves and anxiety were at the max.

“I don’t want to say shaking, but yeah, definitely was shaking going in there,” she said.

You see, Bugay is chasing two dreams at once: Playing soccer at the highest level in between her studies in Downtown Evansville at the Indiana University School of Medicine. And here she was last month, about to make her World Cup debut.

The fourth official raised the electronic board to indicate the substitution. Bugay entered to bring more defensive cover while the vast majority of the 32,357 spectators at Wellington Regional Stadium were hoping for her to fail.

For the final seven minutes, plus a grueling five minutes of stoppage time, she was tasked with defending her goal and a potentially historic moment for the nation.

“You kinda get a sense of, ‘Wow, is this really happening?’” Bugay said. “This is the moment. This is like, I’m getting my first minutes and, after this is over, I can call myself a World Cup athlete.”

Bugay’s journey with the Philippines national team and balancing studies

Bugay, a native of West Lafayette, Indiana, played collegiately at Marquette and first debuted for the Philippines in 2018. She is eligible to compete for Las Filipinas because her grandfather is a native. Although he moved to the U.S. to complete his urology studies, by extension, she and her mother are dual citizens.

“It was a monumental experience (and) moment for me,” Bugay said of her first cap. She recalled the coaches telling the team to take a second and look around. “Enjoy this moment. Enjoy what this means to you and your family. I think just being able to take it all in, and, yes we’re playing a game, but in the grand scheme of things it’s so much more than that.”

As she first stepped onto the field, her parents broke into proud tears. Bugay’s grandfather passed away a few weeks following her national team debut, but she still holds him close. He was her introduction to medicine and she's following in his footsteps in her career while playing for their country.

“It’s kinda two things that are just very special,” Bugay said. “I unfortunately didn’t get to experience that with him so I didn’t necessarily get to hear his take on what that would have meant to him, but I would think that he would have been very proud.”

Bugay’s soccer journey progressed as the Asian Football Confederation’s World Cup qualifying campaign began. The final stages came through the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in India. Las Filipinas needed to reach the semifinals to qualify for the World Cup and did so after beating Chinese Taipei.

Bugay’s situation changed in the following weeks as she learned she’d been accepted into medical school in Evansville, where she spent this past spring semester.

She was away from the team and needed to train on her own. Her manager was supportive, though, and assured her if she kept up with her fitness and athletic responsibilities, she would be invited to compete for a spot on the World Cup roster. Bugay earned her place in the final camp.

“To hear those words from him, ‘You’re going to the World Cup,’ is something that you have dreamed about,” Bugay said. “Just hearing those words and saying, ‘Wow, this is really gonna happen,’ is just very surreal.”

Bugay’s time management was the main focus — “Having to balance two pretty extreme things was definitely taxing,” she said. There were late nights, stress and anxiety and she had to prioritize her physical and mental health.

Unlike most World Cup-level athletes, Bugay didn’t play for a club team. Instead, she worked with a private coach and practiced with a local men’s team. She credited her success to her support system: family — her parents, two brothers and younger sister — friends, teammates and school staff.

“There are times when being a medical student does not allow you to perform at your best,” Bugay said. “I learned how to make time for things that were necessary. I had to prioritize certain things above others.”

Bugay on New Zealand win: ‘It was just a wow, I-can’t-believe-we-did-that moment’

The players on Las Filipinas' bench were standing by the sideline, waiting for the fateful final whistle to sound. New Zealand had been pushing but, other than a finish that was disallowed for offside, couldn’t get through Bugay and the rest of the defense.

The grueling five minutes of added time ticked by, each moment taking the Philippines closer to a historic victory.

New Zealand forced a final heave into the box, though it safely landed in the goalkeeper's hands. She then punted the ball into the sky as the referee blew the final whistle, raising her victorious arms above her head while Bugay and the rest of her teammates swarmed.

The stunned home crowd fled the scene as tears of joy flowed down the faces of some of the Philippines players. Stunned New Zealanders watched on. For the first time, Las Filipinas earned three points in the World Cup.

“All I can remember is wanting to run toward my teammates and celebrate with them,” Bugay said. “It was such an accomplishment; such a euphoric feeling. … It’s such a historic moment for us and going forward and moving forward with Filipino football.

“It was just a wow, I-can’t-believe-we-did-that moment.”

The Philippines’ 1-0 win over New Zealand was one of the many moments in what can be described as the underdogs’ World Cup. Second-ranked Germany was eliminated by a draw with South Korea, sending Colombia and 72nd-ranked Morocco to the Round of 16. Jamaica eliminated Brazil and advanced to the knockout stage despite needing a GoFundMe to finance its trip. South Africa advanced from its group over Italy and Argentina. Haiti only lost to finalist England because of a retaken penalty. There will be a new champion for the first time since Japan in 2011.

Bugay hopes the Philippines' journey to the World Cup — let alone winning a game — can serve as inspiration for the next generation of players.

Las Filipinas has jumped 20 spots in the FIFA World Rankings over the past two years, a feat that could take over a decade in some cases. She feels that the growth of soccer in the Philippines and across the world was on display in Australia and New Zealand.

“With this World Cup, it’s great to see that people and countries and federations are investing more in women’s football,” Bugay said. “I kinda hope it continues. You always hope for the sport to grow. I think, and I really hope, that our story and our journey will help women’s soccer grow in the Philippines.”

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Meet Ryley Bugay, from FIFA Women's World Cup to Evansville