U-20 Women lose second qualifier… this time to Canada.
TTFA Media.Trinidad and Tobago lost 4-1 to Canada as Jordyn Huitema scored three goals for the visitors as they earned their second straight win at the 2018 CONCACAF Under-20 Women’s Championship Group encounter at Ato Boldon Stadium on Saturday evening. Haiti held on to defeat Costa Rica 3-2 in the earlier Group A encounter after the Central Americans rallied back to pull it to 3-2 after trailing 3-0 in the first half.
Canada, which improved to 20W-0D-0L all-time in the competition’s group stage, advanced to the semifinals – along with Haiti (2-0-0, 6) – with a game to spare. T&T and Costa Rica (0-0-2, 0) were both eliminated from contention.
The home fans received a charge in the third minute, when Aaliyah Prince ran onto a short Dennecia Prince corner and fired high inside the far post to give T&T a 1-0 lead.
Canada leveled six minutes later on its own set piece as Huitema chested in Julia Grosso’s right-sided corner at the back post.
In the 51st minute, Grosso’s dangerous corner kick was headed in the air on a 50-50 challenge in the box, before Huitema volleyed her shot in off Trinidad & Tobago goalkeeper Kill Keshwar’s hands to put Canada ahead 2-1.
T&T was reduced to 10 players in the 65th minute after captain Natisha John handled in the box. Gabrielle Carle buried the penalty kick – her second goal in as many games — to give the two-time champion a two-goal cushion.
Huitema, who netted a brace in a 3-1 win over Costa Rica on January 18, completed her hat-trick three minutes from full time, running onto a long ball from Grosso and tapping past an onrushing Keshwar.
Shabazz’s Post-Match Press Conference comments“We had a tough game. We started well but not able to keep pace with the opponents but good start and some good things throughout the game.”
“Well I think we had to stay compact. Canada is a superior opponent and we couldn’t be open, we had to stay compact and it bore fruit for us as it was 1-1 at the end of the first half. We’ve got to be realistic in international football that we can’t play open. When we ended up with ten men you would have seen that we can’t play open. When we went down to ten men we saw the failure to keep compact and we got open and we got scored on. It is important for us to stay company during long periods in the game and I thought they did that on the first half.
“When they got ahead, the burden of responsibilities playing at home, the girls are very emotional. They’re feeling too much [like ok] if we don’t win we let down the country, you know, we want them to play in the here and the now. We want them to stay in the moment and focus on the performance. I thought they focused too much on results, you know the results come at the end but the performance is here and now and it’s something we’ve got to continue to work on,” Shabazz said.
On whether T&T will go for the win against Costa Rica on Monday despite being eliminated from the competition, he added,” “Of course, we have a game against Costa Rica . They’re two down and we’re two down and we’ve got to continue to play and give credibility to the tournament and to the country and come out and give 100%”
Asked to comment on any positives he saw from T&T in the two matches to date, Shabazz responded, “I think the grit and determination. We’ve seen that we can score, and we scored in two matches against opponents who eventually took charge of the game. So there is something there in us, there is a fire in us and the ability to be consistent and to maintain and stay in battle is something we need to work on. Certainly we have shown the ability to get our goals in front which shows a positive thing for us.”
On the showing of goalscorer Aaliyah Prince“Well two U-17 players started today, we had to start also Nathifa Hawkshaw because of injuries to two key players who couldn’t play from the start. I think both of them gave a good account of themselves and Prince especially, you can see she’s developing and she’s maturing. A lot of times she picked up the ball and looked dangerous and even the whole question of the goal, it shows that (you know) that there are players coming through from the U-17s into the U-20s and possibly all the way to the seniors.”
On goalkeeper Klil Keshwar“Yeah this kid has a bright future, and I think that with more work and more international matches she will come into her own and be able to compete for a spot in the higher age groups
TeamsTrinidad and Tobago: 1.K’lil Keshwar (GK); 18.Brittney Williams, 17.Alexis Fortune, 4.Natisha John (captain), 3.Shadi Cecily Stoute; 13.Shenieka Paul; 10.Aaliyah Prince, 11.Ranae Ward, 7.Dennecia Prince, 5.Nathifa Hackshaw (16.Kelsey Henry 46); 9.Lauren Theodore (6.Shaunalee Govia 79),
Unused substitutes: 20.Malaika Dedier (GK), 2.Crystal Molineaux, 8.Megan Rampersad, 12.Jaasiel Forde, 14.Kedie Johnson, 15.Asha James, 19.Chelcy Ralph.
Head Coach: Jamaal Shabazz (T&T)
Canada: 18.Lysianne Proulx (GK), 2.Emma Regan, 5.Hannah Taylor, 16.Maya Antoine, 15.Jessica Lisi; 4.Julia Grosso; 13.Tanya Boychuk (17.Nadege L’Esperance 76), 8.Sarah Stratigakis, 14.Caitlin Shaw (20.Jessica De Filippo 68), 11.Jayde Riviere (10.Gabby Carle 46); 12.Jordan Huitema.
Unused substitutes: 1.Rylee Foster (GK), 3.Ashley Cathro, 6.Malikae Dayes, 7.Shana Flynn, 9.Teni Akindoju, 19.Ariel Young.
Head Coach: Beverly Priestman (England)
Referee: Melissa Borjas (Honduras)
CONCACAF Player of the Match: Jordan Huitema (Canada)
Canada 4 - 1 Trinidad & Tobago HighlightsRELATED NEWSCanada crushes T&T 4-1.
T&T Guardian Reports.A hat-trick from Canadian striker Jordyn Huitema and a penalty from Gabby Carle brought an end to T&T's chances of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva last night.
Huitema who also scored a double in her team's opening game against Costa Rica at the same venue on Thursday, led a commanding 4-1 performance over the fighting Soca Princesses team, which was reduced to 10 players in the 65th minute when captain Natisha John was given marching orders for handling the ball in the box.
The local girls now have no points from two matches while the Canadians now lead the group on goal difference with six points ahead of Haiti.
However, it was the home team which got off to a flying start just as it did in its first game against the Haitians, when striker Aaliyah Prince reacted faster to a right side corner by smashing the ball into the roof of the net to hand the host the lead in only the second minute.
But the Canadians settled quickly and launched a series of attacks on the T&T goal that were thwarted either by the quick intervention of goalkeeper Klil Keshwar, or the dogged defensive play of their players.
In spite of this however, the Canadians got the equalizer in the eight-minute when Keshwar failed to hold on to a cross from the right and inside a crowded area, and Huitema fired it into the back of an open goal.
Later Keshwar made amends by pulling off a blinding save at the back post to prevent Catlin Shaw giving her team the lead. The teams went to the half tied at 1-1, but Keshwar and company could do nothing when Huitema quickly fired in from a loose ball after the T&T defence found trouble to clear Shaw's right side corner in the 51st minute.
T&T's trouble worsened when John accidentally handled the ball inside the penalty area in the 65th minute and was shown the red card. The incident resulted in a penalty which Carle beat Keshwar to her bottom right corner for a 3-1 advantage. Still the Canadians were not done.
Huitema then rounded off the scoring when she out sprinted the opposition defence to slide the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper to record her hat-trick, and a comfortable 4-1 win for the visitors.
Canada and Haiti advance out of Group A to the semifinals.
