THE SCOTIABANK/Pepsi All Stars Female Football team displayed outstanding performances to win the inaugural GSDF Under-21 female football tournament held last Sunday at the Ministry of Education Sports Complex Ground.

Participating in this tournament were Scotiabank/Pepsi All Stars, West Demerara and Berbice. The Scotiabank All Stars Team emerged winners with six points from two wins, West Demerara placed second with three points from one win and Berbice in the cellar without a point.
The tournament kicked off at 12:30hrs with the first game between the All Stars Team and West Demerara and ended 6–1 in All Stars’ favour. The opening minutes saw the teams feeling out each other while getting accustomed to the slightly heavy conditions.
The game went back and forth until the 13th minute when the All Stars team registered their first goal compliments of Sasha James. They slotted quick goals in the 23rd and 25th minutes from Kendra Thomas and Althea Holligan.
Thomas scored again in the 29th and 46th minutes while Holligan recorded one more in the 55th minute with Slacey Forbes scoring the loan goal for West Demerara in the 53rd minute.
Game two saw Berbice and West Demerara play aggressively forcing the medic to make periodic runs on the field to fix up the multiple minor injuries. Abioce Heywood of West Demerara broke the ice in the 20th min when she scored a free kick just outside the top of the box that had goal written all over.
In the final game which saw Berbice and the All Stars Team clash, Berbice came out energised and desperately wanting a win to secure first or second place.
However, their hopes were dashed when Kendra Thomas slotted two goals in the fifth and 15th minute, Althea Holligan in the 25th minute and Sasha James in the 32nd and 60th minutes. Berbice gained a consolation goal in the 29th minute, thanks to Sarafina Lam.
After the game, all the teams were presented with their trophies and medals, with the latter being donated by the Guyana Football Federation.
In attendance were General Secretary of the GFF, Noel Adonis, Treasurer – Dwayne Lovell, Technical Development Officer – Lyndon France, and Golden Jaguars players Walter Moore and Vurlon Mills.
A number of senior female players were also there giving support.
In an invited comment, coach of the Scotiabank/Pepsi All Stars Female team, Joseph Wilson, said that the weekly training paid off and he saw the females improve a lot and hopes that many other tournaments of this nature can be organised so that the female players could improve their skills.
President of the GSDF Colin Baker thanked Scotiabank, DDL under the Pepsi Brand and the Guyana Football Federation for their assistance in hosting the tournament.
Baker said that in 2013 he hoped to have Bartica, Lethem, East Coast, East Bank, Georgetown and Linden participate and has thrown out a challenge to them to start preparing for the tournament which has the making of becoming annual.
He also thanked the Ministry of Education for allowing them to have access to the venue and the Referees Council in providing the referees. He also thanked the many parents for coming out and supporting the players in a well organised manner.