Soca Princesses in goaless draw.
By: Kendall Garcia (Guardian).[/size]
T&T’s Soca Princesses will go into their last round-robin match against USA today in Group “A” needing a draw to reach the semi-finals of the Concacaf Under-17 Football Championship. Yesterday, T&T and Costa Rica played to a goalless draw at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya. The T&T players were a shadow of the team that dominated El Salvador 5-1 on Friday at the same venue. The South Americans denied key players the space to operates and so suffocated any offence.
T&T started with the influential midfielder Stephanie Williams despite nursing an injury. But this hampered her play and slowed the team in attack, and eventually she was substuted at half-time. The Costa Ricans carved out several clear chances all of which were wasted; Racquel Rodriguez Vazquez pushed two gentle shots at Saundra Baron when she should have scored. But the scorers stayed idle up to the interval.
Williams was replaced by Tiana Bateau at the restart, but the Princesses still seemed sluggish. Las Ticas imposed themselves on the match even further, working extra hard to overcome their first match drubbing at the hands of the USA. Valiant work by goalie Baron kept T&T in the match. She was brilliant as she denied an array of shots from Vazquez, Mariela Campos, and captain Katherine Alvarado.
T&T’s best chances came in the 56th minute when Karyn Forbes’ curling corner was punched off the line by goalkeeper Pricilla Tapia. Hoareau had her shot charged down form the ensuing clearance. However neither team could break the deadlock and the match ended in an entertaining draw. T&T will play their final match against USA next week, with a place in the FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup at stake.
TeamsTRI:[/b] 1-Saundra Baron – 2-Taylor Mims, 4-Rhea Belgrave, 5-Arin King, 7-Jessica DeLeon, 9-Stephanie Williams (46: 6-Tiana Bateau), 10-Mariah Shade, 11-Sidonia Hoareau, 13-Natasha Prentice (75: 3-Latifa Kelly), 14-Karyn Forbes, 17-Cassey McKenize (37: 15-Natasha St. Louis).
TD: Randy WALDRUM
CRC: 1-Priscilla Tapia – 4-Maria Isabel Barquero, 7-Mariela Campos, 8-Raquel Rodriguez Vasquez (79: 6-Jazmine Guzman), 10-Katherine Alvarado, 11- Raquel Rodriguez Cedeño, 12-Daniela Cruz, 13-Jacqueline Mata (67: 16-Krickshia Spence), 15-Adriana Guzman, 17-Yocxelin Rodriguez, 19-Fabiola Sanchez.
TD: Juan Diego QUESADA
OfficialsR: Sabina CHARLES (LCA)
A1: Antonette WILLIAMS (JAM)
A2: Shirley PERELLO (HON)
FO: Dianne FERREIRA-JAMES (GUY)
Statistics: TRI/CRCTotal Shots: 4/13
Shots on Target: 3/5
Saves: 4/3
Fouls: 12/9
Corner Kicks: 4/9
Offsides: 0/2
View T&T coach's post game comments.
Trini girls held 0-0 in CONCACAF series.
T&T Newsday Reports.[/size]
Trinidad and Tobago Under-17 women footballers were held to a 0-0 draw by Costa Rica in their Group “A” game in the CONCACAF Under-17 Women’s Champ-ionships at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Tunapuna, yesterday.
They must now salvage a draw with the United States in their final game tomorrow, if they are to ensure a place in the semi-finals. Costa Rica, however, must beat El Salvador to advance ahead of the TT girls.
Earlier yesterday, Rachel Nuzzolese netted a hat-trick to guide the United States to a 9-0 demolition of El Salvador, to book their place in the semi-final round starting on Thursday, making their final game against TT of academic interest only.
Defender Amber Brooks scored twice, while Olivia Klei, Morgan Brian, Tani Costa and Kathryn Bennett added one apiece for the Americans. Nuzzolese started the onslaught in the fourth minute, drilling her left-footer beyond the reach of goalkeeper Maria Rodriguez.
Costa had a hand in the second item, heading a right-sided cross from Alexis Harris over the leaping Rodriguez with Klei, lurking on the left, tapping home in the ninth. Three minutes later, Brian got her name on the scoresheet when she poked home a rebound after Rodriguez denied a shot from Costa.
In the 15th, Costa eventually found the back of the net, heading home Klei’s ball from the left, while Brooks buried a pair of headers, in the 26th and 38th minutes, from outswinging left-footed corners by Klei. Bennett placed her 50th minute penalty to the right of the flat-footed Rodriguez, while Nuzzolese got her team’s eighth goal in the 64th.
Nuzzolese completed her treble in the 78th, poking her shot beyond Rodriguez after she was set up by Bennett. The American girls look a safe bet to advance as one of three teams for the inaugural FIFA Women Under-17 World Cup in New Zealand later this year.
In sister isle Tobago at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Canada won a thriller, edging Jamaica 4-3 with an 84th minute strike by Amy Harrison. Shelina Zadorsky gave the Maple Leaf girls an 18th minute lead, but Jordian Morris scored from the penalty spot to knot up the scores.
Tiffany Cameron scored the first of her double in the 27th to restore the Canadians lead only for Monique Pryce to get a second leveller for the Reggae Girlz.
Cameron got her second in the 39th to make it 3-2 Canada but once again the Jamaicans drew level when Sashana Campbell scored in the 79th. Then Harrison became her country’s heroine with that winning goal.
Earlier, Mexico also won for the second time shutting out Puerto Rico 4-0 on double strikes by Alina Garcia Mendez in the 5th and 72nd and Cherlyn Corral in the 80th and 86th, a penalty. Both Canada and Mexico advance to the final four to be played off at the Marvin Lee venue.
TRINIDAD and Tobago's Under-17 women's football coach Randy Waldrum, second from right; captain Mariah Shade (No 10); Canadian- born midfielder Sidonia Hoareau (No 11) and American-born midfielder Jessica De Leon (No 7) at a recent media conference.
