T&T Women finish WWCQ with 4-1 win
CONCACAF.comKennya Cordner put Trinidad ahead less than 11 minutes after the opening kickoff and the Soca Princesses went on to beat Caribbean rival Guyana 4-1 Tuesday night to finish both teams' campaigns in the CONCACAF Women's World Cup Qualifying.
Cordner used her speed to stretch Guyana's defense and tested keeper Catherine Kobelka early and often, but was thwarted on a penalty by the Lady Jags' netminder in the 40th minute.
Trinidad, which was largely on the defensive throughout in its losses to Mexico (1-0) and Canada (2-0), dominated from the outset and never was seriously threatened by Guyana. It finished in third place in Group A with three points.
It was a second loss for Guyana this year to Trinidad, which beat the Lady Jags 3-0 in Caribbean qualifying on May 14. After winning five of seven games in qualifying by a combined 17-5, Guyana was eliminated in the CONCACAF finals with three straight losses by an aggregate 19-3.
Cordner put a header wide 43 seconds in, and sprinted on goal only to have her shot intercepted by defender Justine Rodrigues in the ninth minute before she put Trinidad ahead.
She ran onto a headed pass from Janine Francois at the perimeter of the penalty area and streaked by Rodrigues before shooting at the edge of the six-yard box. Kobelka was able to partially block the shot, but not stop it from getting underneath and past her into the goal.
Kobelka was able to block another of Cordner's shots in the 25th but the resulting corner enabled Trinidad to double its lead. Rhea Belgrave ran on to Karyn Forbes' corner about eight yards from goal, heading it off the underside of the bar. The ball crashed down over the line before Kobelka could grab it.
The 37-year-old Guyana keeper had her moment in the 40th. She raced off her line to the top of the area to get to a loose ball, only to upend Cordner, who had tipped the ball past Kobelka.
But she went low to her left to block Cordner's ensuing penalty, and the Trinidad winger - with an open goal to shoot at - sent the rebound well over the bar from seven meters.
Trinidad increased its lead to 3-0 3½ minutes into the second half when Akeela Mollon sprinted free down the right side and crossed it to the back post where Candace Edwards converted with an easy volley.
Guyana finally replied in the 60th with a second goal in the tournament by Mariam El-Masri, one of nine teen-agers on the Lady Jags' roster. Ashely Rodrigues worked her way down the left side of the area before sending a ball into the goal box, where El-Masri volleyed at the near post.
Dernell Mascall restored the three-goal advantage five minutes later. Another Forbes corner was first headed by Cordner to the middle of the area just outside the goal box. Edwards was just able to get a touch that deflected it to Mascall, who toed the ball in from inside the six.
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