TT crush Grenada 13-0

TRINIDAD AND Tobago women football team advanced to the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship Qualification Final Round yesterday.

At the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, TT humiliated Grenada 13-0 to finish top of the five-team Group C, of the Qualification first round phase.

In the first of back-to-back matches at the venue, St Kitts/Nevis defeated the US Virgin Islands 7-0 to finish with 10 points from four matches.

At that stage, St Kitts/Nevis had a goal difference of plus-18, while TT, at the same time, had seven points from three games and a goal difference of plus-13.

The hosts needed to win by six clear goals to move on to the August 25-September 3 Final Round phase, and they did so, in emphatic fashion.

Aaliyah Prince notched a hat-trick, Mariah Shade, captain Tasha St Louis, Jonelle Cato and Janine Francois each netted a double for the Jamaal Shabazz-coached outfit, and there was a goal apiece from Kedie Johnson and Jenelle Cunningham, as TT made it an unlucky 13 for the Grenadians.

It took 10 minutes before Johnson got the opening goal, with a left-footed drive from deep which flew past the left of goalkeeper Connie John and nestled into the back of the net.

Cunningham, easily the find for TT in this competition, was on hand to pounce on a failed defensive clearance, from St Louis’ freekick, to put the hosts 2-0 ahead in the 13th.

Francois had a hand to play in the next two goals, with defence-splitting passes to Shade (in the 33rd) and St Louis (42nd) to add to the Grenadians’ misery.

Two minutes before the half, St Louis sent a through ball to the path of Prince to hit past the right of John, and Cato struck in the 45th, after a neat ball from the left by Johnson.

There was no let-off for Grenada in the second half, as the bombardment of goals continued.

Francois drilled home a loose ball in the 50th; Cato, operating on the right flank for the early part of the second half, met St Louis’ ball across the goal to finish in the 53rd; Francois placed her right-footed drive past John in the 78th and Shade collected a freekick from St Louis to slot home in the 81st.

Prince had key roles in the last three goals from the hosts.

In the 87th, the teenaged attacker fought off a pair of defenders before blasting home a right-footed drive, and she netted her third goal in the 90th after sliding home Shade’s ball from the right.

And, in the dying seconds, Prince returned a ball to her captain who held off a couple defenders before sending a low left-footer to the left of John.