Striker Jo-Marie Lewis registered a first-half hat-trick as hosts T&T “Soca Princesses” thrashed Anguilla 6-0 in Group A of the inaugural Caribbean Football Union Girls’ Under-15 Invitational Championship yesterday. With the win, their second in as many matches at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya, the Richard Hood-coached “Soca Princesses” improved to maximum six points and a guaranteed a spot in Thursday’s semifinal.
The Dominican Republic, who have a better goal-difference than the Bahamians must avoid defeat against T&T and hope Anguilla can surprise Bahamas to have any chance of qualification. Under blistering sunshine, the T&T girls took a while to settle and were guilty of being too eager to score — running off-side on many occassions before Lewis opened the scoring in the 27th minute.
Eight minutes later Lewis got her second for a 2-0 lead before she completed her hat-trick five minute from the end of the first-half for a comfortable 3-0 lead. On the resumption, T&T picked up where they left off with Khadidra Debisette — scorer of a double in the first day’s win — Jonelle Warrick and Kayla Taylor adding to the team’s tally.
Debisette banged in goal number four in the 66th minute while Warrick and Taylor netted two minutes apart, in the 73rd and 75th. In the day’s opener at Macoya, Courtney Moss’ 30th minute strike proved the difference for Bahamas against Dominican Republic.
Haiti set up a Group B decider with the “Reggae Girlz” of Jamaica after beating Aruba 3-1 in the third match played, yesterday. The Jamaicans who crushed Aruba 13-0 on Saturday only need a draw to win the group due to their superior goal-difference.
Tomorrow, round-robin concludes with Anguilla meeting Bahamas from 10 am and T&T and Dominican Republic facing off at noon at Macoya, while Jamaica and Haiti will tangle at the University of West Indies Ground, St Augustine from 10am. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semifinals, on Thursday at Macoya, with the winners meeting in Sunday’s final.
TT U-15 girls trounce Anguilla.
By: Joel Bailey (Newsday).
Jo-Marie Lewis netted a first-half hat-trick to guide Trinidad and Tobago to a 6-0 trouncing of Anguilla in the second match of a triple-header at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Tunapuna yesterday. Action was in Group “A” of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Girls Under-15 Invitational Tournament.
Trinidad and Tobago created a series of chances but it took until the 26th minute for Lewis to break the deadlock, capitalising on a loose clear-out by the Anguillans to send her right-footed lob over the heavy-set goalkeeper Jurauni Wanterpool, via the right post and over the goal-line.
Another right-footed lob from Lewis, from the edge of the penalty area, extended the score-line in the 35th, and the striker completed her hat-trick a minute from half-time (each game comprises 40-minute halves). Lewis collected a pass from midfielder Jonelle Warrick, turned on her marker Tikera Lake and nudged her right-footer to the right of Wanterpool.
Wanterpool, who decided against using gloves, and her defence (which was her entire teammates) repelled every TT attack until the 66th when Lewis’ left-sided centre met Kayla Taylor inside the box whose deflected shot off her teammate Marlique Asson fell to Khadidra Debisette who tucked home her shot past the flat-footed keeper. Such was the TT dominance that goalie Linfah Jones never once touched the ball.
In the morning’s contest, Bahamas edged the Dominican Republic 1-0 with Courtney Moss on target in the 30th minute. And, in the Group “B” matchup between Haiti and Aruba, the Haitians emerged winners by a 3-1 margin.
T&T girls win 6-0 in CFU tourney.
T&T Express Reports.
The Trinidad and Tobago girls youth team continued extended their unbeaten run in the Caribbean Football Union Girls Under-15 Invitational tournament with a thrilling 6-0 victory over Anguilla at Marvin Lee Stadium yesterday.
Jomarie Lewis led the home team's charge, scoring a hat-trick (27th, 35th, 40th) to put T&T 3-0 up at the half. Kahadidra Debisette hit the back of the net in the 66th minute to put the game further out of reach of the visitors, while Jonelle Warrick and Kayla Taylor completed the scoring in the 73rd and 75th minutes respectively.
The win ensures that T&T stay on top in Group A, while the Dominican Republic edged the Bahamas 1-0 to sneak into second position on goal difference. T&T will take on the Dominican Republic tomorrow at the Marvin Lee Stadium from 12 a.m. in the second match of a double-header which also features Anguilla versus Bahamas from 10 a.m.