DESPITE a spirited performance, Guyana fell 5-1 to Barbados in the opening match of Group D in the CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Qualifier tournament yesterday at the Leonora Track and Field Facility.

It was certainly not the start coach Akilah Castello wanted for her girls, since they showed flashes of brilliance against a much more physical and match-ready Barbados unit.
Barbados captain Tia Briggs-Thompson had a double, while Tiana Sealy and Caitlin Padmore each had a strike and coupled with an own-goal by Tiandi Smith, that was enough for the women from the ‘Land of the Flying Fish’ to celebrate.
Guyana got the start they wanted from Smith, who showed off her long-range shooting ability in the 12th minute; sinking a Cristiano Ronaldo-like free-kick from approximately 25 yards from goal, that stunned Barbados’ Rowland Kirton-Browne between the uprights.
The crowd erupted in jubilation but those celebrations were short-lived, given the fact that Barbados found the equaliser four minutes later (16th) off the cleats of Padmore, who sneaked in Guyana’s six-yard area and with a free kick stunned the local goalkeeper.
Things went downhill for Guyana as Smith went from hero to villain when she attempted to clear a ball from a corner taken by the ‘Bajans’, but her effort instead went into the net – an own-goal that handed the visitors a 2-1 lead after 21 minutes of play.
Tried they did, but Guyana could not get past coach Thomas Jordan’s defence and the half ended with the home team trailing the visitors by a goal (2-1).

“We told them, press forward and try the goalkeeper since we realise that she was short and was having trouble with the ball in the air,” Barbados assistant coach Gabriela Lopez told the media at the post-match press conference.
Indera Amardeo, Guyana goalkeeper was indeed having a hard time saving the ‘air ball’, since being very short was certainly working against her.
Briggs-Thompson heeded her coaching staff’s advice and scored a long-range shot in the 50th minute, while one minute later (51st), Sealy replicated her captain’s feat, giving the Barbados team a 4-1 advantage.
In the 71st minute, Briggs-Thompson completed her double; this time scoring a free-kick from just over the halfway line to make it 5-1.
By this time, given the fact that Guyana could not have gotten around Barbados’ defence, the score line became unassailable and the Guyanese were defeated.
Meanwhile, Jalade Trim was the crowd favourite, lighting up the Leonora facility with every touch of the ball.

The 13-year-old, who hails from Kwakwani, was the youngest player on the pitch for both teams, and, her flashiness, her fearlessness, along with her ability to read the game, saw her receive loud cheers with every touch.
Trim didn’t score and that could be due to her inability to out-muscle the Barbados defenders, but, like a true warrior, she put her teammates in goal-scoring positions which they failed to capitalise on.
Guyana play Cuba on Sunday in their final fixture. Cuba, the preverbal powerhouse of Caribbean football in the women’s department, will have their first taste of the tournament tomorrow, at 17:00hrs against Barbados.