The Cayman Islands Girls Under-14 national football team packed the Truman Bodden Sports Complex Monday (6 August) playing to a 1-1 draw with Barbados in the opening game of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Girls Under-14 Challenge.
In the seventh minute, Bajan Rayna Cummins gathered a midfield scramble and chipped a long ball over the Cayman defense finding Keidasha Thomas on pace who fired past Cayman Islands keeper Ilsa McLaughlin for a 1-0 lead.
Cayman would answer in the 68th minute when substitute Clara Byrne gathered an Alexia Bromfield set piece in the Bajan box to equalize for the draw.
“We were looking for a win today, so we were a little bit disappointed,” said Assistant Coach Harry Varley. “We thought there were good patches of play. We were hoping to convert goal scoring chances, but we know the girls were going to be nervous. We are happy with a solid start, but want to make sure those strong performances turn into wins.”
“We were very impressed with Barbados, they fought hard, and made it very difficult for us. They played very deep, we were struggling to break them down. I though we played well for two thirds, but for the final third there was so many of their players committed, it made it hard to create chances. We will be in a good position for the next two games.”
In the early game, St. Lucia and Curacao tied 1-1.
“In the second half, we were really pushing for a goal,” said Byrne. “Lexi put in a really good free kick, so I’ll I had to do is tap it in. I thought Barbados were very physical and very fast. We’ve come together as a team well over the past few months.”
Cayman will return to the pitch Wednesday (8 August) versus Curacao at 7 p.m., followed by their final game versus St. Lucia at 7 p.m. Friday.
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