… Trinidad and Tobago sink Guyana 5-1

By Rawle Toney in Houston, Texas
THE Lady Jags’ journey to Rio Brazil came to a crashing end after going down 5-1 to Trinidad and Tobago last evening at the BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas in the final Group B match of the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament.

Kenny Cordner notched a double (7th and 61st minutes), while Mariah Shade (10th), Ahkeela Mollon (21st) and an own goal by Guyana’s Justine Rodrigues (17th), were enough to send the Twin Island Republic through to the Semi-Final, where a matchup with Olympic and World Cup Champions the USA awaits.
The win for Trinidad also holds some historic significance, since it’s the first time the Soca Princesses are advancing past the Group Stage after failing to do so in their two previous showings at the CONCACAF tournament, used to determine the Confederation’s two representatives in Brazil later this year.
Debutant Bria Williams scored Guyana’s lone goal of the game in the 44th minute as coach Mark Rodrigues and his troops said ‘goodbye’ to the tournament in Houston Texas.
Guyana entered the game holding a one-goal advantage over Trinidad and Tobago, and only needing a draw to advance further in the tournament on début.
The team put forward by head coach Mark Rodrigues suggested that Guyana would have been playing it safe with the Lady Jags starting XI being more defensive-oriented.
Coach Rodrigues started with Chante Sandiford in goal, Alison Heydorn, Briana De Souza, Leah Ramalho, Justine Rodrigues, Ashlee Savona, Ashley Rodrigues (captain), Otesha Charles, Kailey Leila, Dana Bally and Bria Williams.
Richard Hood opted to present a more attacking line-up against the Guyanese women, going with goalkeeper Kimika Forbes, Jenelle Cunningham, Shade, Arin King, Khadidra Debesette, Maylee Attin-Johnson (captain), Tasha St-Louis, Janine Francois, Mollon, Karyn Forbes and Cordner.
With Barbadian referee Gillian Martindale sounding her whistle to signal the start of the game, Trinidad and Tobago immediately went into attack mode and Mollon, using her wealth of experience, terrorised Guyana’s defence down the right wing.
It didn’t take long before the 30-year-old Forward (Mollon) worked her magic on the Lady Jags, as she broke down the right wing and squared the ball in nicely to Cordner, to bag her first of two goals and ultimately the lead in their eventual win.
Mollon again, three minutes working down the right wing and this time found Shade who was just inside the ’18’ and her (Shade) shot was hit too hard and well-placed for Sandiford to stop, making it 2-0 Trinidad.
Seven minutes later, defender Justine Rodrigues, in her attempt to clear the ball after a Cunningham attempt, mistakenly scored her ‘own goal’ and placed Trinidad up 3-0.
Mollon, after playing a role in each of the goals scored by Trinidad, netted one of her own but Williams pulled one back for Guyana just when it seems as though the Lady Jags will head into the locker room with a heavy deficit.
Kimika Forbes was caught off her line after clearing the ball which landed in the path of Williams, who floated her shot nicely over the Trinidadian’s glove to put the score 4-1.
In the second half, Guyana were by far the more aggressive, pressing especially since seeing their Olympic dream being shattered in-front their eyes.
On an attack, Mariam El-Masri, the Lady Jags’ leading goalscorer who came in as a first-half substitute for Savona, flicked the ball towards goal but it was timed perfectly by Forbes to deny Guyana a second goal.
El-Masri continued to get her way with the Trinidadian defence but was roughed up a little in the 18-yard area and a loud call for “penalty” was made. However, the ‘Bajan’ referee said play-on.
El-Masri continued her terror on the Trinidadian defence, but Cordner, the usual trouble-maker for her country, put the icing on the cake with her beautiful strike that left Sandiford stunned in goal.
The Lady Jags received a standing ovation as they exited the ‘tear-flooded’ pitch, and would now shift their attention to playing at home in Guyana for the country’s 50th Anniversary celebration in May.