The Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Future Stars gave a dogged display but had to settle for a 5-2 loss against the Jamaica Under-17 team on the opening day of the Jewels of the Caribbean Football Tournament at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, Port-of-Spain, Monday (December 15).
The team, comprised of several players from this year’s SSFL season who just missed out on a place on the national team, was made to work much harder than they did during the season. This they found out the hard way when an infringement from outside the SSFL Stars’ goal area brought the hard-hitting Nycolette Prendergas to the fore.
The diminutive Jamaican stepped up and spanked the ball powerfully past Myeisha Cox in the SSFL Stars’ goal for a 1-0 advantage. The goal came mere moments after the rising T&T stars matched their opponents in both attack and defence and managed to keep their opponents at bay. However, their defensive structure was breached a second time by the Jamaicans, and it led to the second goal, less than two minutes after the first.
This time, Rickayla Stewart led a slow but steady buildup from the right side before she released to the unmarked Jamara Jones at the centre of the pitch. The latter then cheekily turned to face the goal, despite being surrounded by more than three SSFL defenders, before her low shot beat the outstretched arms of the SSFL custodian for the 2-0 lead.
The local team, despite trailing in the contest, was far from out of the match. And in the 36th minute, the home team could not be denied an item to boost their hopes of a comeback. From a perfectly delivered cross from a right-side free kick, Daniella Paul got the slimmest of touches to guide the ball past the onrushing Kayla Kidd in the Jamaican goal to cut the scoreline in half as the teams went into the halftime break.
But having made two steps forward with the goal, the SSFL Stars later made four steps backwards, from an unnecessary defensive blunder. There appeared to be no hint of a goal or pending trouble as Akira Charles looked heading back to her goalkeeper while being chased by Elizabeth Miller.
Instead, Charles released a weak pass to her teammate that was later intercepted by Miller. Miller’s initial attempt was blocked by Cox, but Ricquanna Richards steered the loose ball beyond the stretched legs of Cox to restore the two-goal advantage 3-1 at the break.
Though they trailed by 3-1 at the restart, the SSFL girls appeared undaunted by their position. They pulled a goal back to reduce the score a second time in the 53rd minute when Shaquilla Daniel was sent galloping onto an earlier clearance from the backline, which put her one-on-one with Kidd. The goalie’s attempt to clear the ball cannoned off the chest of Daniel, and the diminutive SSFL striker was presented with an easy task of tapping the ball into an empty goal for a 3-2 margin.
Later, though, the Jamaicans scored twice to put the game well out of the reach of the home team. Miller was fouled in the T&T goal area in the 84th minute, forcing the referee to point to the penalty spot where Richards stepped up and sent the goalie the wrong way.
And then another powerful shot from Prendergas from a free kick, was parried by Cox onto the boot of Miller who then tapped it into the empty goal in the 90th minute for a 5-2 victory.
