TT women progress to CONCACAF finals

THE TRINIDAD and Tobago women football team progressed to the CONCACAF Women’s Championship – the final round of qualifying for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, by virtue of a comfortable 3-0 win over Bermuda yesterday.

Action was in the first match of a CONCACAF Caribbean Women’s Qualifier double-header at the National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica.

Kennya Cordner scored twice for the Anton Corneal-coached squad, with Kayla Taylor getting the other goal, which ensured that TT finished the five-team group stage with nine points from four games, and a goal difference of plus six.

Hosts Jamaica (nine points from three games and a goal difference of plus 16) and Cuba (six points from three games and a goal difference of plus eight) were due to meet in the game of the Caribbean qualifiers last evening. Bermuda (three points) and Antigua/Barbuda (no point) were the other teams in the Caribbean final round group.

TT, Jamaica and Cuba will move on to the CONCACAF Women’s Championship in the United States from October 4-17.

Captain Tasha St Louis and central defender Jenelle Cunningham, who were both injured in Friday’s 4-1 loss to the Jamaicans, were replaced in the starting line-up by midfielder Naomie Guerra and Rhea Belgrave respectively.

And experienced goalkeeper Kimika Forbes was dropped, with American-born Saundra Baron getting her first start of the tournament.

Taylor netted her seventh goal of the competition, in the 12th minute of play. The pint-sized striker took the ball from defender Taznae Fubler outside of the penalty area, made room to her left and drilled a left-footed shot past Bermuda goalie Micah Pond.

Guerra had a chance to extend TT’s lead in the 38th, when she received a cross from the left by fellow midfielder Karyn Forbes. But Guerra took too long to control the ball, and Pond averted any danger. Cordner, who, like Taylor, made her return to the national team for this tournament, netted TT’s second goal in the 57th.

Fubler was harassed inside the penalty box by Taylor and her week clearance fell to Cordner who lashed a right-footed drive beyond Pond’s reach.

Taylor saw her 68th minute effort crash off the uprights, and Cordner, seconds later, skewed her left-footer with only Pond to beat.

Pond was lucky not to concede in the 76th, when K’shaela Burch Waldron’s clearance rebounded off Taylor’s knee and sailed towards the goal. The Bermuda keeper was alert to prevent the ball from crossing the goal-line.

But Pond could do little to stop Cordner from scoring her second item, in the 87th.

The veteran attacker skipped past Waldron, Jade Stewart and Trinae Edwards with a diagonal run from the left, and sent her right-footed shot, via Pond’s fingertips, into the back of the net.