Trinidad and Tobago’s senior women footballers failed in their bid to advance to the semi finals of the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup as they went down 3-0 to Mexico in its quarter final encounter at the Tropical Park in Miami on Sunday evening.
Needing to win to advance in the tournament, the T&T team, despite a valiant effort, were let down by some defensive lapses as they conceded on either side of the half Leyva 38’.
Mexico went ahead when Patricia Perez slammed the ball past stranded goalie Lisa Jo Ramkissoon in the 20th minute. Ramkissoon had failed to hold the initial free kick by Monica Gonzalez. Then Gonzalez struck a 40 yard free kick over Ramkissoon who was playing her first match for the T&T side in over 18 months or more.
Maribel Dominguez then sealed the win for the Mexicans with a 75th minute item when she latched on to a long ball from Monico Ocampowhich bounced over Ramkissoon, to tap in from close range.
The first one came when the T&T 'keeper spilled a free kick from Mexican defender Monica Gonzalez right in front of the net and Patricia Perez slammed home the rebound. At the stroke of halftime, Gonzalez got a goal of her own, lofting a 40-yard shot over the head of the T&T 'keeper. Mexican star forward Maribel Dominguez added the final goal in the second half, running onto a long ball that had bounced over the head of the T&T 'keeper. "Mari-Gol" only had to tap it into the net. T&T coach Marlon Charles eventually replaced his goalie with Kimika Forbes in the 75th minute.
T&T didn’t always chase their opponents as with the likes of speedy Ahkeela Mollon and Tasha St Louis, they did manage to push forward and maintain some form of possession. Mollon had a rare shot from a tight angle in the 75th minute. It was Mexico though who continued to pressure the T&T goal.
T&T will now return home with Mexico advancing to the semi finals. Caribbean neighbours Jamaica overcame Panama 2-0 in the other quarter final match and will meet Canada in the semis while Mexico faces United States on November 22. By way of their win, Jamaica will also represent the CFU in the Pan American Games in Brazil in 2007.
Teams:
TRI:
1-Lisa-Jo Ramkissoon (21-Kimika Forbes 75th) – 2-Ayana Russell, 4-Katrina Meyer, 5-Nadia James-C (11-Aveann Douglas 63rd), 6-Leslie Ann James (19-Kennya Cordner 58th), 7-Niasha Reyes, 9-Dernelle Mascall, 10-Tasha St. Louis, 12-Ahkeela Darcel Mollon, 15-Micah Mahabirsingh, 20-Mauricia Nicholson.
Booked: St. Louis 20'
MEX:
20-Sophia Perez – 2-Elizabeth Patricia Gomez, 3-Rubi Marlene Sandoval, 4-Monica Gonzalez, 5-Maria De Jesus Castillo, 7-Juana Evelyn Lopez (16-Carmen Padilla 73rd), 8-Fatima Leyva, 9-Maribel Dominguez-C, 10-Iris Adriana Mora (17-Monica Ocampo 61st), 11-Patricia Perez (18-Teresa Guadalupe Worbis 65th), 15-Luz Del Rosario Saucedo.
Booked: Lopez 34’.
Soca Princesses fall 3-0 to Mexico.
By: Ian Prescott (Express).
"The Jamaican coach said he wished his team had played as good as ours. He said his just scored...and they also played a weaker opponent. We played Mexico."
Those were the words of Anton Corneal, following Trinidad and Tobago's heart-breaking 3-0 defeat to Mexico in a CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup match at Tropical Park, Miami on Sunday night.
"These girls have frightening potential," Corneal said of the T&T's women team. "I have not been around them before, but I was actually pleasantly surprised that we were able to match a much more seasoned Mexican team in so many areas with players who are mainly 18, 19 and 21 years old, with the two eldest being just 25.
"These girls will be around in four years' time. What we have to do is put a system in place so they are not lost in the USA, and that we can at least bring them togther at least twice a year, maybe spring break and Thanksgiving."
Like Corneal, an assistant coach to the Trinidad and Tobago's men team which competed at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, many in the stands were made believers.
Harvey Borris, T&T consul in Miami, had been on internet radio the day before urging Miami-based Trinis to support the team and they came, with a heavy rhythm section.
After cheering Jamaica to a comfortable 2-0 victory over Panama, the T&T section were joined by their Caribbean counterparts from Jamaica to cheer on the Soca Princesses.
You would have thought Trinidad and Tobago had won, as home-sick Trinis in Miami sang David Rudder's "Trini to the bone" long into the cold night. Local referees Lydia Bamble and Shane Da Silva were also in the stands cheering on the team after doing the earlier Jamaica match. With trembling lips, Bramble, especially, could not help beaming a smile and commenting how well the Soca Princesses were playing at one point. Anthony Harford and cameraman were also in complete agreement. Corneal thought the result hinged on critical mistakes which the T&T team made.
"The keeper (Lisa Jo Ramkissoon) made a few mistakes. For the first goal, the ball came off of her hands. She was caught off her line by a tremendous shot for the second and was unfortunate to have the ball bounce over her head for the third. She did not have a good game, but you take away these goals and watch the game again, and you wonder who were actually the better side," said Corneal.
It might all have turned out differently had the T&T team been given the administrative suport they needed. Trinidad and Tobago's women footballers looked by far the most skilled of four teams competing in Miami, despite the loss.
It all seemed very encouraging for the Soca Princesses when Jamaica easily adavnced to a semi-final clash with Canada, by whipping Panama 2-0.
The T&T women would have beaten any of those two teams, and probably also Mexico had they been better prepared.
But, the undeniable symptons of lack of preparation showed up when Mexico scored three goals-all against the run of play-to earn a semi-final spot with the United States.
Mexico's goals came from Iris Adriana Mora (20th), Maria Castillo (45th) and Maribel Dominguez (67th), their one player of true quality. It was only in the last 15 minutes of the match that Mexico turned it on and started to look a class team.
For the first 20 minutes, Mexico struggled to match the pace of Trinidad and Tobago, who played five across midfield and launched a couple dangerous attacks on the flanks.
T&T coach Marlon Charles made a few tactical changes to the regular line-up going into the game, moving heavy-set utility player Leslie Ann James to centre-forward and replacing her at left midfield with the more mobile Mauricia Nicholson (University of West Florida).
Twenty-one-year-old Ahkeela Darcel Mollon (University of South Carolina), another player to come into the line-up since the Caribbean Zone qualifiers, was put at right midfield, where her pace up the flank stretched the Mexicans early on. Tasha St Louis, T&T's most skillful striker, was at central midfield, but did not have a good game.
However, early on, everything worked perfectly and it looked like an upset was on the cards. Mexico had only looked threatening from free-kicks aimed at the centre of the T&T penalty area, where central defender Katrina Myer struggled to match the physical play of the big Mexican defenders.
"We had a plan for Mexico and actually everything was working," Corneal said. "They were struggling to come through the midfield. It was only when the ball came off the keeper and they got the easy first goal that they got in the match."
The opening goal came about after St Louis was yellow-carded on the right edge of the penalty area, giving Mexico a free-kick whih turned the game on its head. Ramkissoon, the Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper, did well, diving to keep out the stinging free-kick, but none of her defenders were alert to the presence of Mora, sliding in on the rebound and giving Mexico an undeserved lead.
Undaunted, the Soca Princesses kept pressing and should have gotten the equaliser from James in the 31st. Micah Mahabirsingh swung the ball over from the right corner to James, who turned the best chance of the entire game over on the volley from six yards out.
That miss proved detrimental, when in the 45th minute Castillo saw Ramkissoon of her line and unleashed a tremendous shot from 35 yards out. Ramkissoon quickly retreated to her goal, but being as short as she is, could not stop the ball from clipping the underside of the bar and going over the line.
From just two shots at goal, the Mexicans took a 2-0 lead at the half. Trinidad and Tobago looked to get a goal early in the second half, but just like their male counterparts, the Mexicans were good at killing off the game, despite not doing much themselves.
Finally, a pure goalkeeper's error gifted Mexico their third, when Ramkissoon allowed a loose ball to bounce over her head, giving skilful striker Dominguez an unguarded net to poke the ball into.
Trinidad and Tobago struggled to take control of the midfield again and might have conceded another except for exceptional play at the back by Ayanna Russel, who cleared the ball off the line after Ramkissoon was chipped by Dominguez. Tobago goalie Kemica Forbes came in for an injured Ramkissoon later in the game when the Mexicans were in full flow and brought off a couple of good saves.