The UWI WFC became the first team to take a point off the Charles Edwards coached Barbican FC in the Sherwin Williams Women’s Premier League in nearly two years when they battled to a 0-0 draw at the Barbican Stadium on Saturday August 31st.
The UWI WFC became the first team to take a point off the Charles Edwards coached Barbican FC in the Sherwin Williams Women’s Premier League in nearly two years when they battled to a 0-0 draw at the Barbican Stadium on Saturday August 31st.
Barbican who had a ‘flawless’ season last year in which they won every game they played in the league and knock-out were aiming to repeat that feat again this season. Having beaten UWI by an aggregate score of 16-0 in their last three meetings (5-0,7-0) last season’s two-leg semifinals and 4-0) in the first round this season, the defending champions would have expected to have a fairly easy afternoon.
It proved to be anything but, as a dogged UWI played a tactically disciplined game, inviting the defending champions to come at them and try to break them down. Try as the might, the home team could not do so and were restricted to long range efforts for the entire first half. The closest they came was a shot from Tashana Vincent that went over the top midway the half.
The best effort of the half fell to UWI and came from a combination play between Carmen Christie and Stephanie Barrow on the right hand side. Barrow was played in down the flank and her beautifully whipped cross was met by Sherona Forrester whose header was well saved by the diving Barbican custodian Abigail Palmer in the 42nd minute.
With the scores tied at 0-0 at half time it took Barbican only ten minutes in the second half to start ringing the changes in an effort to try and penetrate the UWI defense. But the visitors refused to yield. Sherona Forrester, Rochelle Bryan and Melesa Anderson matched Jodi-Ann McGregor and her star studded team in midfield while the central defensive pair of Shuraffadean Thomas and Ornella Gray blunted Nickimia James and Tashana Vincent. Captain Alahna Grant at right back and Kia Rigsby at left back also had outstanding games as they kept the Barbican players in front of them all game.
It seemed like a game that could be settled by the odd goal and Barrow will still be ruing the chance she spurned in the 65th minute. UWI had been forced into a change when Christie went down injured and her replacement Brenda-Lee Walsh won a loose ball before passing inside to Barrow who got in behind the Barbican defense but her rushed effort was easily handled by Palmer in goal.
As the game wore on Jodi-Ann Thomas started to enjoy more freedom down the left hand side for UWI and started to ask more question of the Barbican team. Sensing the possibility of snatching a winner, the visitors started playing with a bit more adventure while the home team could find no way through their opponents. Not even the introduction of National under-20 representative Shanel ‘Tanto’ Bailey could shift the tide.
It became a battle of wills as the UWI bunkered in for a point while an increasingly frustrated Barbican team pushed hard for a winner. They bossed possession of the game but failed to create any real openings . In the end a draw was a deserved result for the visitors who celebrated as if they had one when the referee blew the final whistle.
Barbican continue to lead the zone on 16 points, followed by UWI on 10 and Harbour View who have a game in hand, on 9. The game between UWI and Harbour View, to be played at the UWI Bowl, could well determine who takes second place behind the defending champions who secured qualification to the semis with that result.
Speaking after the game UWI head coach Dwayne Richards said: “This was a massive result for us. You could tell by the reaction of the girls just how much it means to the team. To hold the defending champions to a draw after losing to them so heavily on a number occasions feels like a win.
“We need to build on this point and get the results necessary to get to the semifinal round because that is the minimum target we set ourselves at the beginning of the season,” he concluded.
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