Trinidad and Tobago eliminated at Concacaf Under-20 Champs after 7-2 loss

TRINIDAD and Tobago Under-20 women’s football team were eliminated from the 2022 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship after losing 7-2 to St Kitts/Nevis at the Estadio Panamericano in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic on Sunday.

Hat-tricks from St Kitts/Nevis strikers Iyanla Bailey-Williams and Jahzara Claxton, partnered with a well-taken penalty from Stokes, quelled all hopes of TT advancing to the second round.

Skipper Maria-Frances Serrant and half-time substitute Shurella Mendez scored TT’s two goals in the 33rd and 75th minutes respectively.

However, TT ended the match with ten players on the field as starting goalkeeper Akyla Walcott was substituted off during the second half and her replacement, Aaliyah Alexander, was sent off for a foul, 20 minutes later.

This was TT’s second loss in as many matches, having lost out to El Salvador 3-0 in their opening Group A fixture on Friday. They now sit in cellar position on the four-team table, with one match to go, against group leaders Canada, on Tuesday.

In the opening half, TT forward Tori Paul squandered a clear goal-scoring opportunity in the second minute after St Kitts/Nevis goalkeeper Solleessh Rawlins was caught off her line.

Three minutes later, however, TT paid for their missed chance as Bailey-Williams opened the floodgates by pouncing on a mishandled ball by Walcott, and headed home.

Moments later, she found the back of the net once more and by keeping in an on-side position and outwitting TT’s backline to slot home comfortably.

TT strikers Serrant and Paul tried to stage an early comeback but all efforts were to no avail. The early two-goal lead gave St Kitts/Nevis added confidence as Claxton got off the mark in the 22nd minute to send them 3-0 up.

Minutes later, TT defender Latifah Pascall committed a foul on Nevisian striker Zonia Marshall in the penalty area, which allowed Bailey-Williams to notch her first-ever hat-trick, rifling home from the penalty spot to send them 4-0 ahead.

TT skipper Serrant held her own in the 33rd minute when she latched on to a long pass and slotted past Rawlins for TT’s first of the match. Serrant and Paul continued to persist but struggled to find the final shot.

Claxton would grab a first-half brace before the break as she showed class by sprinting down the left and firing into the top corner (5-1)

Early into the second period, TT seemed to lose momentum and as Bailey-Williams easily assisted Claxton’s hat-trick, with just three minutes gone.

Again, Walcott’s inexperience showed in the goal when she collided with Stokes in the 60th minute and gave away another penalty. This time, Stokes got her name on the score sheet as she hit the ball into the top right corner (7-1).

After this goal, Walcott was replaced by Alexander.

TT grabbed their second goal in the 75th minute when Serrant sent in a low cross to Mendez, who made no mistake. But it was too little, too late for the young Women Warriors.

Three minutes from full-time, in an attempt to clear a loose ball, Alexander ran out of her area and fouled an incoming Josanna Williams. She was immediately red-carded and defender Aaliyah Trim took up the position between the posts.

The last moments of the match more or less summed up TT’s performance against the lowest-ranked team in the tournament.