Their fate in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under-20 Women’s Football Finals had already been decided when Anguilla and Grenada met on Tuesday October 22, but both teams were determined to leave Jamaica with a win despite being already eliminated from the tournament.
Their fate in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under-20 Women’s Football Finals had already been decided when Anguilla and Grenada met on Tuesday October 22, but both teams were determined to leave Jamaica with a win despite being already eliminated from the tournament.
On paper the teams were both evenly matched but somehow Anguilla took full control of the first half, totally dominating play as they outclassed their opponents. Skipper Coleen Johnson had an inspired first half as she pulled the strings in midfield, getting good support from Makaiba Reid and Roxane Bradshaw pushing Grenada back to the edge of their box as they created chance after chance.
The writing was on the wall by the time Johnson headed home a beautifully floated free kick from Bradshaw. A free kick was awarded on the edge of the area and Johnson reacted quickest as she caught the Grenada defense flat footed before burying her header for her team’s first goal of the competition.
Tamisha Rochardson should have made it 2-0 soon after when the Grenada custodian Akima Charles dropped a routine catch, but Rochardson shot into the side netting from an acute angle.
Anguilla continued to create the chances but failed to find the killer second goal as the half ended 1-0
The match would turn out to be a game of two distinct halves as Grenada did to their opponents exactly what had been done to them in the first half.
They pinned the Anguilla team back from the first minute of the second stanza and were rewarded in the 52nd minute when Ariba Collins popped up to score for Grenada after Anguilla had conceded a needless corner.
Grenada kept on pressing for the go ahead goal but were unable to unlock the Anguilla defense for a second time.
The games was played in a heavy down pour for much of the first half and the rain continued in the second. This meant that the underfoot conditions would play a part in the latter stages of the game and that it did as both sets of players were clearly out on the feet before the final whistle.
When the final whistle did come the 1-1 score line was a true reflection of the game and the skill level of both teams who would no doubt have learned a lot from playing in the tournament.
Photo: Roxane Bradshaw on the go
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