This country’s senior women’s footballers will have the backing of over 22,500 spectators at a sold-out Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port-of-Spain from 6 pm this evening when they meet Ecuador, as both teams attempt to qualify for next year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup.
The vast majority of tickets have already been sold out, yet fans are expected to flock to the venue from early hours today in a last-ditch attempt to salvage an experience similar to that of the men’s team when it met Bahrain in 2005 and the USA in 1989.
The women’s team has very similar ambitions, as they are aiming to qualify for their first ever Fifa Women’s World Cup.
T&T has never reached this close, and according to head coach Randy Waldrum, there has never been a better opportunity to qualify.
A win today will see T&T join World Cup host Canada, along with the USA, Costa Rica and Mexico for a record number of representatives from Concacaf. T&T too, will become the smallest country by population, behind Equatorial Guinea, to qualify for World Cup with a win.
Today will see a battle of tactics between Waldrum and his counterpart Vanessa Arauz and on the field between Warriors captain Maylee Attin Johnson and her opposite number Ligia Moreira.
The variables that define the fixture are straightforward. T&T’s Women Soca Warriors must avoid a loss. A goalless draw after full time and extra time will see the match decided on a penalty shoot-out, while a win or a draw by any result other than a goalless one, will see Ecuador through.
These scenarios were constructed as a result of the goalless draw in the first leg in Quito, Ecuador, early last month.
The “away goal rule” gives goals from away teams more strength than those scored by the home team, but only in the case where both teams are tied after both legs. Given that the first match ended without any goals, Ecuador will advance to the World Cup if the match ends 1-1 or 2-2 and so forth.
Both teams returned to the venue yesterday for successive one-hour training sessions.
Kennya Cordner is expected to start up front and will likely have the support of Mariah Shade and winger Akheela Mollon, with Johnson holding.
Possible line-ups:
T&T: Kimika Forbes; Brianna Ryce, Rhea Belgrave, Arin King, Lauren Hutchinson, Kadhidra Debessette, Maylee Attin Johnson, Karyn Forbes, Ahkeela Mollon, Mariah Shade, Kennya Cordner.
Ecuador: Shirley Berruz, Ingrid Rodriguez, Lorena Aguilar, Ligia Moreira, Angie Ponce, Mayra Olvera, Andrea Pesantes, Erika Vasquez, Kerly Real, Ambar Torres, Monica Quinteros.
Women Warriors in last-ditch bid to make World Cup
By Ian Prescott (Express).
We Ready
“We’re ready,” stated Randy Waldrum, Trinidad and Tobago’s senior women’s team head-coach. Waldrum assured that the Women Warriors are as ready as could be for today’s crucial World Cup qualifier against Ecuador.
Both teams will be hoping for a historic first-ever World Cup qualification when they play the second-leg of an inter-continental playoff for the final spot in the 24-team 2015 Women’s World Cup to be held in Canada.
The teams played to a goalless draw in the first-leg on November 8 in Quito, Ecuador. Today, they clash from 6 p.m. at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, with the aggregate winners over the two matches clinching the final spot for the Women’s World Cup.
“We’re kind of at that point where we are just anxious to get into it,” Waldrum said of today’s match. Undoubtedly the biggest women’s football match in T&T’s history,” said the former USA women’s under-23 coach.
Waldrum says that nothing less than a win would do, as the Women Warriors attempt to emulate the 2006 men, as the only senior national football team to qualify for a FIFA World Cup tournament.
“We have to expect a win. We want a victory. Anything short of that will be a disappointment for everybody involved,” Waldrum declared. “But even so, this team has done extremely, extremely well.”
“Because of how the first stage tied 0-0, I think you’ll see a game that will be fairly open,” said Waldrum. “A tie with goals scored works for them, but a tie with no goals scored, and we still have to play more.
“If they had won by multiple goals, they could come and sit in a bit. So, I think you’ll see them try to go get the game, and I think you will see from us, obviously, try to go get the win,” Waldrum added. “I think you will see both teams be smart about going and feeling each other out a bit early on. But, I don’t think you’ll see either team really sitting back.”
Trinidad and Tobago team
Kimika Forbes, Saundra Baron (goalkeepers);
Khadidra Debessette, Arin King, Amira Walcott, Rhea Belgrave, Lauryn Hutchinson, Brianna Ryce, Patrice Superville (defenders);
Maylee Attin-Johnson, Ayanna Russell, Ahkeela Mollon, Khadisha Debessette, Janine Francois, Tasha St Louis, Karyn Forbes, Dernelle Mascall, Nia Walcott (midfielders);
Mariah Shade, Jasmine Sampson, Anique Walker, Kennya Cordner (strikers).