Bermuda under-14s bounce back at Caribbean competition
Bermuda got their campaign at the Caribbean Football Union Girls Under-14 Challenge Series back on track with a convincing 2-0 win over host nation Trinidad & Tobago in Port of Spain on Sunday.
The young Lady Gombey Warriors prevailed at Hasely Crawford Stadium thanks to strikes either side of half time from Mia Daponte and captain Avery Taylor to pick up their first win at the tournament.
Forward Daponte broke the deadlock moments before the interval before midfielder Taylor scored from a 68th minute free- kick to double Bermuda’s advantage.
Bermuda were on the back foot in the competition after suffering a 1-0 defeat against Jamaica in their opening Tier I group B match at Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva the previous day, with Nycolette Prendergrass scoring the winning goal for Jamaica in the 57th minute.
Jamaica were reduced to ten players when goalkeeper Mikalia Banton was sent off after picking up a second booking in the closing stages of the match, but Bermuda were unable to capitalise on their numerical advantage as their opponents held on for the win.
Bermuda are back in action against Aruba at Ato Boldon Stadium on Tuesday.
At the conclusion of the group stage, the group winners and runners-up will progress to the semi-finals, with the final scheduled to take on Sunday.
Teams finishing in third place will head into a play-off for fifth position with the sides occupying fourth place, playing in a match to decide the destination of the wooden spoon.
Bermuda’s Under-14 girls team are hoping to go one better than their male counterparts, who came up just shy of glory in Trinidad a year ago after losing to Barbados on penalties (4-3) in the final after the match ended goalless in normal time.