BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - TWO wins out of three games have propelled the St. Kitts-Nevis Under-20 Female Football Team to the second round of their World Cup qualifying campaign.
The tournament played last week in Tortola has moved on to the other qualifying stage, which will be played in Puerto Rico later this year.
In their opening game, St. Kitts and Nevis thrashed Antigua 4-0 with the girls putting on a classy show before moving on to face the strong Anguilla team.
They were however defeated 2-1 in that game with numerous complaints being made about the venue, which was soaked by heavy rains the day before and the morning of that game.
In an interview with Virgin Islands News Online, St. Kitts-Nevis Coach Lester Morris said he was still flabbergasted after the game.
“It's really unfair to be honest! If you look at the second half, they got down our end only three times,” he lamented. “The pressure we mounted on them was tremendous, but having done all the hard work we were unable to get the ball between the posts.
“The conditions of the pitch were terrible but, as I told my team, it was the same for both sides. We should have scored three times in the first 10 minutes but the team that scored two goals came out victorious.”
He had vowed to go out seeking a win in their last game and hoped the conditions would have allow them to get the ball on the ground and achieve a repeat of their performance against Antigua.
Morris’ team then delivered on his pledge and thrashed the BVI team 11-0 to secure a spot in the second round.
“Trust me, the feeling is tremendous! I’m so proud of the girls,” Coach Morris exclaimed. “Tonight showed the difference the pitch can make. On a surface like tonight we were able to get the ball down on the ground and play it around like I know we can. We have to go back home and now work a bit a harder. It’s the second time we have progressed and we know what to expect from the likes of Trinidad, Cuba and Jamaica, and hopefully can get some good results.”
Coach Morris named some of his standout players but felt the whole team had been brilliant. “Brittany Lawrence, Phoenitia Browne and my Captain Tarvia Phillips stood out, but we played as a team and were successful as a team.”
