The Cayman Islands Girl’s 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, which all but confirmed their second place finish, the Cayman Islands team faced Group D runners-up Barbados in a consolation game.

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.

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 Riley Doyle and Kasey Golding entering the field for Ethana Villalobos and Shuwayne Fyne respectively in the 65th minute, brought a ‘spark’ to the local young ladies’ play but it was not enough to overcome the deficit.

Steadfast in her support of her players and always looking to improve, Assistant Coach Shakeina Bush summarized the week-long experience stated, “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.”

Miss Bush further 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.”

With a very respectable record of two wins and two losses in their first competitive
tournament as a national team, the Cayman Islands team returns home on Sunday, August 12th.

IMAGE:
The Cayman Islands Girl’s Under 15 National Team.