U15 Girls lose consolation match
Girls’ U-15 National Team (standing, L-R) Shayana Windsor, Hannah Scott, Satiah Miller, Alexia Bromfield, Chloe Bentick-Lalli and Molly Kehoe; (kneeling, L-R) Lilly Powery, Kayla Bradley, Artemis Deslandes-Hydes, Katriona Williams and Ethana Villalobos
(CNS Local Life): The Cayman Islands Girls’ Under 15 National Football Team completed play in the 2018 CONCACAF Girls’ Under 15 Championships going down 1-0 to Barbados in the group stage second-place game. Following on from their disappointing loss to St Lucia the day before in the Group E decider, the Cayman Islands team faced Group D runners-up Barbados in a consolation game held Friday, 10 August.
The Caymanians held their own for the majority of the first half but conceded a goal in the 32nd minute as Barbados’ Caitlin Padmore claimed the game’s only goal, said a Cayman Islands Football Association press release. Following the resulting restart, Cayman’s Alexia Bromfield and Shayana Windsor replaced Raeanne Ebanks-Hydes and Kalie Ebanks in the 33rd minute.
Further changes during the second half – in the 36th minute, with Kiara Lemay replacing Satiah Miller in goal, and in the 65th minute Riley Doyle and Kasey Golding entering the field for Ethana Villalobos and Shuwayne Fyne, respectively – brought a “spark” to the local young ladies’ play but it was not enough to overcome the deficit, said the release.
Steadfast in her support of her players and always looking to improve, assistant coach Shakeina Bush said of the week-long event, “The tournament was a wonderful opportunity for all our players to gain valuable experience as they set their sights on the Under 17 age group. The younger and less-experienced players have now tasted what it is to compete at the international level and the more-experienced girls understand the importance of getting better to be able to compete at the Under 17 level.”
She added, “Many thanks to the parents in attendance who cheered on the team through thick and thin. Their unwavering support was very important to the players.”
Calling the two wins and two losses a “very respectable record” in their first competitive tournament as a national team, CIFA said the Cayman Islands squad returned home Sunday, 12 August.
