Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana both scored opening victories against St Lucia and Barbados respectively on the first day of matches in the Caribbean Football Union Gold Cup Qualifying matches at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya on Monday evening.
Hosts T&T were comfortable 6-1 winners while Guyana also impressed in their 3-0 defeat of Barbados.
In the first game of the double header, Guyana went ahead as early as the 9th minute through Marian El Masri. Their captain Ashley Rodriguez doubled the lead eight minutes from half time with a well taken finish.
Barbados tried to pull a goal back in the second half but to no avail and conceded a third goal when Ashlee Savona sneaked in behind the defence to hit home from close range.
In the second match, T&T were in control from start to finish and didn’t take long before going ahead. Forward Candace Edwards saw her effort go through goalkeeper Cantel John in the 12th minute. This was after skipper Maylee Attin-Johnson and Edwards had missed efforts inside the opening ten minutes.
Another mishap by John allowed Kenya Cordner to make good on the rebound to send T&T 2-0 ahead in the 20th minute.
T&T continued to press and were rewarded with a third item when a nice flowing move on the right side of the field saw Mollon whip one over for Edwards to slap home from close up. The scores read 3-0 in favour of T&T on 24 minutes.
It then took just seven minutes for the hosts to increase their advantage. Cordner did all the hard work, outpacing two defenders on the left of the box before shooting hard and low past John.
Defenders Arin King, Ayana Russell, Anastacia Prescott and Danielle Blair made sure things were tidy at the back for T&T.
On 56 minutes, Mollon then got among the scorers when she caught everyone by surprise with a looping ball over from the right which entered the far corner of the net when it appeared that she would cross into the box for one of her awaiting teammates.
St Lucia pulled a goal back in the 60th minute as Joanne Alphonse caught the T&T defence napping as goalkeeper Keri Myers advanced and was beaten, allowing Alphonse to hit into an empty net.
Mollon missed a sitter in the 77th minute when she dragged her effort wide of the right post from the six yard box and teammate Janelle Nedd’s shot crashed off the crossbar in the 86th minute. Substitute Mariah Shade rounded off the scoring a minute later when she got into a one on one with John and sent the ball low and into the net for a 6-1 scoreline.
Action continues on Tuesday at Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella, Trinidad. Puerto Rico vs Cuba 5pm, Antigua/Barbuda vs Haiti 7pm. On Wednesday T&T faces Barbados at 7pm and Guyana takes on St Lucia at 5pm at the Marvin Lee Stadium.
With CONCACAF expanding the field of its championship from six to eight teams - and the Caribbean's number of berths from two to three, the CFU will take the top two finishers from each second-round qualifying group into a final group of four from which the top three teams will qualify for the Gold Cup.
Out of this CFU tournament, the two group winners plus the best second placed team and Puerto Rico (hosts) will qualify for the CAC Games If Puerto Rico happens to finish in the top 3 then the other 2nd place team will qualify.
The Women's Gold Cup is scheduled for late October-early November.
Final Score- Guyana 3 vs Barbados 0
Final Score- T&T 6 vs St Lucia 1,
Goals: T&T-Candace Edwards 12', 24', Kenya Cordner 20', 52', Ahkeela Mollon 56', Mariah Shade 87'
Goal: St Lucia -Joanne Alphonse 60'
Edwards, Cordner net twice as TT rout St Lucia women.
By Joel Bailey (T&T Newsday).
Candace Edwards and Kennya Cordner scored two goals apiece as Trinidad and Tobago hammered St Lucia 6-1 at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya, in their Group “F” meeting, as the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup Caribbean Qualifying Second Round phase began on Monday.
The St Lucians were not expected to offer a tough challenge to the Trinidad and Tobago outfit, and Edwards tested their defence in the 10th minute, spinning and shooting her right-footer wide of Cantel John’s goal after a pass from the right by Ahkeela Mollon.
A similar move by Edwards, a minute later, proved effective as the striker got a ball from the left and hit a low right-footer which trickled through the legs of John and into the back of the net.
Cordner forced John to save her left-footed try on the line but the slimly-built forward made amends two minutes later (19th), as the goalie made a mess of Mollon’s right-footed centre and Cordner slotted the ball into the open net.
The St Lucians’ problems worsened when they fell 3-0 down in the 24th, as a sweeping move on the right, involving wing-back Ayana Russell and Mollon ended with the Swedish-based Mollon crossing to Edwards to drill her right-footer past the hapless John.
Cordner had another chance at goal, collecting a fine cross-court ball from Mollon on the left but she could only hit her right-footer onto the roof of the net.
The half-time interval did little to ease the St Lucians’ woes, as Cordner eventually got her second, in the 52nd, taking a feed from her captain Maylee Attin-Johnson and, with little resistance, she raced down the left and placed her left-footer past John’s right hand.
Mollon brought the crowd to their feet four minutes later, with the goal of the match, an exquisite chip from the right which sailed over John and nestled into the back of the net as the St Lucians were again caught napping in defence.
However, the same could be said of the Trinidad and Tobago back-line, in the 60th, as Keri Myers, their Under-17 goalie collided into Russell attempting a clearance and forward Joanne Alphonse calmly placed the ball beyond the reach of retreating centre-back Arin King.
Second half subs Afiyah Matthias, Mariah Shade and Janelle Nedd were repeatedly caught off-side by St Lucia’s high defensive wall, but Mollon, in the 78th, could have done better when she was sent through by Shade, only to hit wide from eight metres out.
Nedd also scuffed her effort in the 85th, hitting against the crossbar from a similar distance after John failed to gather Matthias’ left-sided centre.
But Shade ended proceedings in the 87th, racing onto a long ball by defender Anastacia Prescott and tucking her effort past the stranded keeper. In the earlier game of the double-header, Guyana cruised to a 3-0 triumph over Barbados, with goals from Mariam El-Masri, captain Ashley Rodrigues and Ashlee Savona.
El-Masri opened the scoring in the ninth minute, stroking her left-footer to the left of goalie Kamillah Burke after fellow striker Alison Heydorn waltzed her way past the vacant space down the left flank.
In the 37th, Heydorn, who was involved in all three goals, sent a through ball to the overlapping right-back Nikkita Persaud whose cross was poorly dealt with by the defence, leaving Rodrigues with the simple task of drilling her right-footer past Burke’s right hand.
Ten minutes into the second half, Heydorn, in the centre of midfield, spotted an unmarked Rodrigues on the left whose cross was misjudged by Burke, and Savona poked her right-footer into the empty net. The Group ‘F’ action continues today, from 5 pm, with St Lucia meeting Guyana and hosts Trinidad and Tobago meeting Barbados.
The top two finishers from each second-round qualifying group to play a third league phase to decide the three CFU participants at the 2010 Women’s Gold Cup, which is scheduled for late October-early November.
Teams –
GUYANA: Tenyka Francique; Briana De Souza, Daria Owen, Collette Hope (Jordanna Phillips 59th), Nikkita Persaud; Kayla De Souza, Justine Rodriques, Ashley Rodrigues (capt), Brittany Persaud; Alison Heydorn, Mariam El-Masri (Ashlee Savona 42nd – Donna Carvalhal 84th).
BARBADOS: Kamillah Burke (capt); Tonia Jordan, Alyssa Yard, Kerry Bascombe (Shannon Gibson 46th), Shonna Evelyn; Soraya Toppin-Herbert, Shanice Stevenson, Kerry Trotman (Gabriella Lopez 46th), Cosette Brathwaite; Nikita Hoyte (Shakira Rowe 64th), Tianna Hackett.
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Keri Myers; Anastacia Prescott, Arin King, Danielle Blair, Ayana Russell; Nadia James, Ahkeela Mollon, Kennya Cordner (Janelle Nedd 74th), Janine Francois (Afiyah Matthias 57th); Candace Edwards (Mariah Shade 63rd), Maylee Attin-Johnson (capt).
ST LUCIA: Cantel John; Ellousa Morquis, Jamilla Henry, Fayella Joseph (Megesh Savery 65th), Shirmain Hyacinth (capt); Vincentia Reid, Diane Jean (Elizabeth Joseph 73rd), Kwanzaa Prescod (Zanique Celestin 57th), Jovette Wilson, Verdan Frederick; Joanne Alphonse.
Mollon returns with a bang
…after three years away from national duty.
By: Shari John (T&T Guardian).
After three years away from national football duty, Ahkeela Mollon signalled her return in style on Monday night as she scored one goal and set up two to inspiring T&T to a 6-1 victory over St Lucia in the Caribbean Football Union Second Round Tournament.
T&T exhibited excellent all-round football and provided a great deal of entertainment in a fast paced match at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya.
From as early as the seventh minute, T&T had a chance on goal, but Candace Edwards’ header hit the cross bar. Three minutes later, Mollon did well to get past two defenders before crossing the ball to Edwards, whose shot went wide of the post.
Less than a minute later, however, Edwards made amends, after being picked out by left-winger Nadia James just inside the 18-yard box.
Although her shot went straight to goalkeeper Cantel John, the ball was fumbled over the line to give T&T its first goal. Soon after, T&T was provided with two more chances—a Mollon shot on goal in the 14th going straight to John and her cross to Kennya Cordner a minute later not being converted.
Cordner made up for the miss in the 17th minute though, when a shot by Edwards ricocheted to her and she converted. Six minutes later, Mollon and Ayana Russell put together a string of passes, advancing from midfield, before Mollon found Edwards, who beat John once more to score her second goal and T&T’s third.
T&T continued its dominance to the extent that up to 26 minutes into the match, the ball had only entered its half three times, once being a chance on goal, and the other two occasions being routine back passes by defenders.
Skipper, Maylee Attin-Johnson got in on the action in the 52nd minute, when she passed the ball from the top of the box to Cordner, who shot left of John to get her second goal on the night.
Four minutes later, Mollon brought her experience into play, as she caught John off her line, and easily curled the ball into the far left post from just outside the top right corner of the box, to earn herself a much deserved goal.
St Lucia would find the back of the net at least once however, as U-17 keeper, Kerri Meyers ran out to collect the ball, leaving her post unguarded. It allowed Joanne Alphonse to easily slide the ball into an empty post in the 60th minute.
U-20 captain, Mariah Shade was on the field just 25 minutes, before she intercepted a loose ball in midfield and made an unchallenged run on goal, before toying with John for a few seconds and easily nudging the ball to her left to round off the scoring for T&T in the 87th minute.
In the first match of the night’s double header, Barbados was outplayed by Guyana, which won 3-0 through goals from Mariam El-Masri in the ninth, Ashley Rodrigues 37th and Ashlee Savona in the 55th.
T&T will be going for another win tonight at the same venue when it faces Barbados in the second match of a double-header, from 7 pm. St Lucia will be taking on Guyana, from 5 pm.
T&T TEAM
Kimika Forbes, Ayana Russell, Annalis Cummings, Rhea Belgrave, Nadia James, Anastacia Prescott, Dernelle Mascall, Afiya Matthias, Maylee Attin-Johnson (capt), Arin King, Janine Francois, Ahkeela Mollon, Candace Edwards, Danielle Blair, Avanelle Issac, Maria Shade, Janelle Nedd,Kennya Cordner, Keri Myers
SCORES
T&T 6 (Candace Edwards 10th, 23rd, Kennya Cordner 17th, 52nd, Ahkeela Mollon 56th, Maria Shade 87th) vs St Lucia 1 ( Joanne Alphonse 60th) Guyana 3 (Mariam El-Masri 9th, Ashley Rodrigues 37th, Ashlee Savona 55th) vs Barbados 0