Girls’ U-15 footballers notch second win
The Girl’s Under 15 National Team before heading to the CONCACAF tournament
(CNS Local Life): The Cayman Islands Girls’ Under 15 National Football Team continued their winning ways with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Guyana Wednesday, 8 August, in Group E play at the CONCACAF Girls’ Under 15 Championships in Bradenton, Florida. Ethana Villalobos opened the scoring in the 37th minute after being played through by Alexia Bromfield, and Molly Kehoe notched her third goal of the tournament in the 50th minute to secure the win and top spot in Group E going into the final group game Thursday, 9 August.
Kehoe is now joint top scorer in the tournament with three goals, sharing top spot with two other players, from the US and Curacao.
Guyana proved to be a much more physical team than first opponent Bahamas but the Caymanians’ superior fitness, crisp passing and ball possession would play key roles in the win, stated a Cayman Islands Football Association press release.
Much like in the first game, head coach Alex Gonzales-Garces and assistant coach Shakeina Bush made a number of changes in the second half as Shuwayne Fyne replaced Hannah Scott in the 58th minute and Kalie Ebanks and Riley Doyle entered the match in the 70th minute for Kayla Bradley and Alexia Bromfield, respectively.
Satiah Miller’s heroics between the posts for the Cayman Islands in the second half ensured the team would top the group on goal difference over St Lucia, who defeated the Bahamas 2-0 in the other Group E encounter.
“Today’s game was much more physical than yesterday’s win over the Bahamas,” said Bush. “We had to adjust quickly to Guyana’s speed and strength but Ethana’s opener allowed the girls to settle and control the game. The girls grew in confidence during the second half as Guyana began to tire.
“Molly’s goal was perfectly timed as our attacking mentality severely limited Guyana’s ability to get forward. We are excited and confident about our final group game against St Lucia as the two best teams in the group battle for that all-important top spot and the chance to advance to the semifinals.”
The Cayman Islands face St Lucia today for the chance to play the winners of Group D in the semifinals on Friday, 10 August. The final is scheduled for Sunday, 12 August.
