Trinidad and Tobago women drub Barbados 5-0 in Concacaf W Qualifiers

Trinidad and Tobago's women's football team got the perfect start to the Concacaf W Qualifiers when they got a thumping 5-0 win over Barbados at Kensington Oval, Barbados, on December 1.

It was a disjointed first half at Kensington as the teams seemed to struggle with the bouncy nature of the cricket strip in the middle of the park. Still, the visitors did create some openings in the first half and went to the break with a 1-0 advantage thanks to a 12th-minute goal from veteran attacker and captain Kennya "YaYa" Cordner, who gleefully tapped in near the goal line after Barbados goalie Lisa Harding saved a thumping header from French-based defender Kedie Johnson.

TT did breach Harding's defence a couple of other times, as diminutive winger Alexcia Ali had a close-range effort wiped out by an offside call in the tenth minute, while Pleasantville Secondary standout Nikita Gosine clipped a right-footed free kick off the bar in the 24th minute. And just before referee Alyssa Pennington brought the opening period to a close, Ali somehow failed to turn into the net after Harding spilled a right-side cross.

Barbados' best first-half chance fell to Rianna Cyrus in the 17th minute, but she sent a tame left-footed shot towards Simone Eligon's goal after the hosts caught out Johnson and the TT defence with a swift counter-attack.

Johnson, who started the game at centre back alongside Victoria Swift, was shifted to left back to start the second half, with tireless St Joseph's Convent Port of Spain defender Kaitlyn Darwent shifting from left back to right back as she put on a thorough defensive shift. The change in position probably inspired Johnson, or at least gave her the freedom to express herself as she scored TT's second in the 77th minute with a left-footed blast from about 30 yards, before Ariana Borneo, Aaliyah Prince and Lorall Romain scored in the dying stages as TT flexed their muscles against the Bajans to get a jump-start in group F which also features El Salvador and Honduras.

Before TT's second-half barrage to close out the contest, the Bajans did create a couple of openings through forward Acacia Small. In the 57th minute, Small sprayed a right-footed shot wide of the mark after making a dangerous diagonal run into the TT box, while she had a close-range shot well-saved by Eligon three minutes later after running onto a flick on. At the other end, Cordner tried to extend her team's lead but sent a left-footed volley over the bar on the swivel.

In the 67th minute, Ashland University's Borneo was introduced to the action by coach Damian Briggs, and her dribbling and direct approach definitely added another dimension to TT's game in the latter stages. Before Borneo could show off her magic, Johnson stole the show with her powerful long-range left-footer which dipped and swerved out of the reach of Harding who had drifted off her line.

With TT now moving with a newfound swagger, Borneo made it 3-0 in the 82nd minute with a delightful left-footed curler from just outside the area as she caught Harding trying to steal a few yards off the goal line after a turnover by the Bajans. Harding and her defence were hardly allowed to catch their breath, as just seconds later, the speedy Prince opened up her body and ghosted past Daphne Watson-James before applying a smooth right-footed finish into the bottom corner to make it 4-0.

For good measure, the visitors added a fifth in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Romain drilled in a right-footed shot past a yellow wall of Bajan players on the goal line after TT were awarded an indirect free kick for an infringement by Harding.

TT couldn't have asked for a better finish to their qualifying opener, and now they will have at least three months to fine-tune before their next qualifier when they take on Honduras on March 3. TT are scheduled to play their final qualifier against El Salvador on home soil on April 16. El Salvador and Honduras will meet in their group F opener on December 2.

There are six groups in this qualifying phase, with only the group winners advancing to next year's Concacaf W Championship where they will join the pre-seeded teams Canada and the US. The Concacaf W Championship will serve as the region's qualifier for the 2027 Fifa Women's World Cup, as well as the LA 2028 Olympics.