Canada's women's U-17 team closed out the Women's Under-17 Four Nation Tournament with a 1:1 draw against host Trinidad and Tobago.
The match was played in front of a spirited crowd at Mannie Ramjohn Stadium in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. The host scored in the opening half and Canada's Haisha Cantave returned with the equaliser in the second half.
"It was a very well played match by Canada against a hard-working and direct opponent," said Canadian national coach Bryan Rosenfeld. "We created many chances, but not enough to win."
Tonight's match was Canada's third international match in six days. Rosenfeld's starting XI featured Sabrina D'Angelo in goal, Ally Courtnall at right back, Shannen Jainudeen and Nicole Setterlund at centre back, Katherine Caverley at left back, Chantale Campbell, Kylie Davis and Sabrina Hémond from right to left in the midfield, and Haisha Cantave, Nour Ghoneim and Diamond Simpson from right to left up front.
Both teams came out to a flying start. Less than two minutes from the whistle, right back Ally Courtnall was driving into the offensive zone and winning Canada's first corner of the match.
Just three minutes later, Trinidad and Tobago had a wonderful chance after a cross got past Canadian goalkeeper D'Angelo. Fortunately, Setterlund got back just in time and dove to knock the shot wide of the net.
Then in the eighth minute, Campbell stepped up and fired a 30-yard blast that hit the crossbar.
The play continued both ways, but then Canada thought it had a worthy opportunity after Simpson broke in past the defence. Simpson was tackled on the play by goalkeeper Keri Myers, but there was no call on the play.
Four minutes later, Trinidad and Tobago opened the scoring with the first goal of the game in the 19th minute. Canadian goalkeeper D'Angelo was knocked in the air when several players went up to connect with a Trinidad and Tobago free kick. The ball came down and scrambled its way over the line for a 1-0 Trinidad and Tobago lead.
"Trinidad and Tobago's players fought like crazy, but our Canadian players never quit," said Rosenfeld.
Canada quickly returned to action looking for the equaliser. While Canada would have to wait until the second half, it did get close with several more chances before the half-time whistle.
In the 32nd minute, Campbell produced a great shot along the ground that was nearly redirected on target by Cantave. Five minutes later, Cantave had a chance on a breakaway, but her shot was stopped by Myers.
Then in the 40th minute, Courtnall had another one of her great runs, but was pulled down right on the edge of the penalty area. Again, there was no call on the play.
Before the second half, coach Rosenfeld made his first of five changes, replacing Hémond with Abigail Raymer. Within five minutes of her entry, Raymer had a good chance off a Cantave cross, but Raymer was just wide with her shot.
A few minutes later, it was Cantave on the receiving end of a Setterlund pass. Cantave did not miss, firing the equalising goal into the top corner of the net.
From there, Canada maintained most of the possession, but could not score the winning goal. There was a great strike from Cantave in the 63rd minute, a well-taken free kick by Campbell in the 81st minute, and a good run by substitute Zakiya McIntosh in the 85th minute.
During the second half, coach Rosenfeld made four more changes. He replaced Raymer with Caroline Beaulne in the 75th minute, Cantave and Ghoneim for McIntosh and Haillie Price in the 77th minute, and Davis for Kinley McNicoll in the 83rd minute.
The Canada 1:1 draw closed out a week-long camp in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. Following the match, Canada will have a few more days of training before heading to Costa Rica for the 2010 CONCACAF Women's Under-17 Championship which runs 10-20 March.
Soca Princesses hold Canada 1-1.
By: Ian Prescott (T&T Express).
Only once before had Trinidad and Tobago taken a point off Canada prior to Friday night’s 1-1 draw in the closing match of the four-nation invitational women’s under-17 tournament at Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella.
Before then, the only positive result for T&T against the North Americans came here in 2002, when the full national team were held 2-2 by a Canadian Under-20 squad.
The well-supported Soca Princesses had the ’Mannie Ramjohn’ in an uproar in the 20th minute on Friday when Khadisha Debesette forced the ball into the Canada goal from close up following a free-kick from Canada-based T&T left back Shante Helwig-Correia, a new recruit to the line-up.
But after a spell of pressure, the more powerful Canadians pulled level at 1-1 in the 55th minute, with a well-taken shot from striker Haisha Cantave. Then the very tight T&T defence held firm despite a testing from Canada.
Earlier on, Mexico won the tournament by beating Jamaica 2-0 with goals from captain Diana Gonzales (48th) and Andrea Sanchez (54th), after Jamaican captain Trudi Carter missed a 46th minute penalty.
With just six months to go before Trinidad and Tobago host the second FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in September, there were positive signs that the Soca Princesses could compete well at the World Cup.
’I am very pleased with the results,’ decared Norwegian Even Pellerud, the former Canada coach who is now in charge of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation’s women’s programme.
’Canada has been the best team in the tournament. They had been unlucky against Mexico, but has played three strong games. Even tonight, they dominated the second half, but the first half was even.’
’I think the team did well,’ added T&T Under-20 coach Jamaal Shabazz. ’It shows that not a huge gap exists between us and the better teams and we could have won this game. I am pleased by what I saw six months before playing at the World Cup.’
Trinidad and Tobago played behind the ball and worked hard to keep out the much bigger Canadian players. Even so, the first chance still feel to Soca Princess Jo Marie Lewis, who had a low shot deflected wide of goal, with the Canadian defence in disarray.
But the Canadians roared back. Deadly dead-ball specialist Chantelle Campbell rocked T&T’s crossbar with a 30-metre shot, while striker Diamond Simpson broke clear of the backline before bringing out a double save from T&T’s adventerous keeper Keri Myers, who always seems to be at the edge of her penalty area.
The home team then took the lead when Debesette netted from one of the dead ball situations which had troubled the Canuck girls all night long. And Lewis might have extended T&T’S lead in the 33rd minute had a cross ball not fallen on her weaker left foot on the edge of the Canadian six-yard box.
The Canadians turned up the pressure in the second half, first pulling level through Cantave’s powerful shot from the right of the penalty area which whizzed past keeper Myers.
The Trinidad and Tobago goalie also tipped over another Cantave shot from long distance, but was a mere spectator when dead-ball specialist Chantelle Campbell drilled a powerful free-kick onto her right upright in the 82nd minute. Once they had won the free-kick outside the penalty area, Campbell’s teammates were already celebrating as if sure she would score.
Then, with just three minutes left in regulation time, substitute midfielder Diarra Simmons, one of two Ontario-born sisters of T&T parentage, almost won it for the Soca Princesses. But her powerful half volley from within the penalty area flew straight at Canadian keeper Sabrina D’Angelo.
’It is fantastic for these girls who have only started playing football very late in life and have worked so hard in the last year to have gotten this result against a strong team,’ said Pellerud.
’In this tournament my focus was on getting everyone to play so there was a rotation of line-ups for all three games. I am happy that I was able to do it because it is very tough, resting players against good teams like Canada. But I had to because we needed that tournament experience.
’The players needed to show me what they could do in a competitive situation with fans in the stands, and the pressure that brings. And they responded well and this was a great first tournament for this young team.’
TOURNAMENT RESULTS:
Sunday: Mexico 2 v Canada 1; Trinidad and Tobago 0 v Jamaica 0
Wednesday: Canada 4 v Jamaica 1; Mexico 2 v Trinidad and Tobago 0
Friday: Mexico 2 v Jamaica 0; Trinidad and Tobago 1 v Canada 1