Cayman U-15s take third at CFU championships
The Under-15 National Team starting 11 from earlier group play: (standing, L-R) D’Andre Rowe, Rico Bodden, Jose Ebanks, Albertini Holness, Cody Ebanks, Kion Parchmont and Jalen Walters; (kneeling, L-R) Kareem Foster, Rohelio Wright, Corey Mellaneo (captain) and Kameron Mendez
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Under-15 Boys National Football Team claimed third place in the 2015 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Championships following a 5-4 sudden death penalty shootout win over St. Lucia in St. Maarten on Sunday, 16 August.
Top scorer for the Cayman Islands for the tournament, Kareem Foster, opened things up in the eighth minute but St. Lucia levelled just before half time. Both teams searched for the winner in an exciting second half but to no avail. With the game ending 1-1, third place came down to a penalty shootout.
Albertini Holness, Cayman’s standout goalkeeper, was the hero of the day as he saved the first penalty and, ironically, scored the deciding penalty in sudden death. His heroics earned him man-of-the-match accolades.
Curacao were crowned the under-15 champions after defeating the Dominican Republic 4-2 in the final game, which followed the third-place match.
Cayman lost their semifinal match 1-0 to the Dominican Republic on Friday, 14 August. After that game, CIFA interim president Bruce Blake said, “I am very, very proud of the young men who represented their country superbly throughout the tournament. The semifinal result went against us but we should be excited about playing for third place. This is truly an excellent achievement and I want to express my sincere gratitude to the coaching staff, the players and the parents. We will learn from this experience and move forward. The future looks very bright. “
The team returns to Cayman later today (18 August).
