An improved performance by the Trinidad and Tobago senior women football squad, but the local lasses were held 2-2 by the Canadian Under-19 outfit at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, Arima on Monday night.
The Canadians ended the three-match tour with a record of two wins and one draw during their week-long stay. The visitors went ahead in the seventh minute through Aysha Jamani, but the striker failed to convert in the 35th, when she sent her sliding right-footed attempt wide off the mark. But Trinidad and Tobago did not let those setbacks affect their play, and equalised in the 38th minute. A Tasha St Louis freekick on the left flank was headed by Natalie Des Vignes to the path of co-striker Jinelle James whose follow-up header caught the Canadian defence off-guard.
Both teams went back and forth seeking the go-ahead goal, with the T&T women taking the lead in the 56th. St Louis sent a through-ball in the middle to James who, free on the right, sent a low right-footer past the reach of Canadian goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe. Their joy was almost shortlived when, three minutes later, national goalkeeper Nicole Mitchell-Thomas was forced to intercept an attempt from Lisa Collison, who collected a loose ball on the right.
Mitchell-Thomas turned from hero to villain when the Canadians levelled the scoring in the 85th. Stephanie Gibson, who entered the field two minutes earlier, got a through ball on the right and, after sprinting past defender Terri-Lisa John, she was given the easy option by the T&T goalie to slot home into the near (left-side) corner of the net.
Collison was also involved in a one-on-one try with Mitchell-Thomas in the 87th but her attempt went wide of the mark while, in the dying seconds, substitute strikers Maylee Attin-Johnson and Tanekar Alexander failed to convert during a goalmouth scramble. In related news, national midfielder Leslie-Ann James, who suffered neck injuries during Saturday's encounter at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Tunapuna was also among the crowd at Monday's match. James, who turned 23 yesterday, revealed that her injuries were not as severe as it looked but will have to miss two weeks of football as well as her duties with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). But the Joe Public playmaker is hopeful to recover fully to resume training with the team ahead of the CONCACAF Women's Olympic qualifiers in Mexico next month.