T&T U-17 women fight back to hold Bermuda; Shabazz: We’re a step or two behind

The Trinidad and Tobago Women’s National Under-17 Team fought back from behind twice to eventually hold Bermuda 2-2 in the opening group match of the Caribbean Under-17 Championship match in Haiti last night. The tournament serves as a qualifying series for the Uruguay 2018 Women’s Under-17 World Cup.

Bermuda got goals in both halves by Lei Lanni Nesbeth but the “Women Soca Warriors” had an answer each time as captain Sarah De Gannes grabbed the first equaliser with a shot from outside the box before substitute Aaliyah Prince rescued a point with an 89th minute item.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago Women’s National Under-17 Team forward Aaliyah Prince controls the ball during 2018 World Cup qualifying action against Grenada at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva on 27 August 2017.
The teams played to a 2-2 draw.
(Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)

Trinidad and Tobago play their final group match against Jamaica on Friday while the “Reggae Girlz” will tackle Bermuda tomorrow night.

If the Women Warriors top the group, they will advance to the Caribbean Cup final and the 2018 CONCACAF Championships while a second-place finish would mean a second chance at advancing to the CONCACAF tournament via a third place play-off.


They will be eliminated if they finish bottom.

National Under-17 coach Jamaal Shabazz, whose team got a scare in a 2-2 draw with Grenada in the earlier round, admitted that his troops have not impressed so far.

“It is clear that we are a step or two behind the teams in this tournament,” Shabazz told TTFA Media. “It is our ability to stay organised and [our] grit and determination that is keeping us in the game. Where their legs ran out in this match, they applied their hearts and we were able to get a point.”

Photo: Morvant Caledonia United head coach Jamaal Shabazz (left) helps defender Kareem Joseph to his feet while assistant coach Rajeesh Latchoo looks on during CONCACAF Champions League action in 2013.
(Courtesy Francisco Estrada/Jam MEDIA)

TTFA press officer Shakira Thompson said several of the Trinidad and Tobago players were recovering from a bout of food poisoning, although this remains unconfirmed.

Prince said the players will be ready for Jamaica on Friday.

“It’s always a privilege to help my team,” Prince commented. “And even though we wanted the win, we are still happy to leave with a point.

“Now we have to put that game behind us and focus on Jamaica.”

Trinidad and Tobago Women’s National U-17 Team: 20.Makida Herbert (GK); 3.Roshun Williams (Tyanna Williams), 5.Moenesa Meijas, 7.Afiyah Cornwall, 8.Nathifa Hackshaw (Chrissy Mitchell), 10.Maria-Frances Serrant (Aaliyah Prince), 12.Aaliyah Pascall, 13.Kya Edwards, 16.Tianna Daniel, 18.Kara Trotman, 19.Sarah De Gannes (captain).


Unused Substitutes: Chelsea Ramnauth, Isabella Collins, Kayla Baboolal, Jessica Harragin.

Coach: Jamaal Shabazz

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago Under-17 captain Sarah De Gannes (centre) is congratulated by teammates Aaliyah Pascall (right) and Nathifa Hackshaw against Bermuda at the Stade Sylvio Cator in Haiti on 16 October 2017.
The two teams played to a 2-2 draw.
(Courtesy TTFA Media)
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31 comments

  1. Looks like we’re eliminated. We lorse 3-1 to Jamaica.

  2. I hope Mr Shabazz was being literal due to the effects of the food poisoning. He can not be referring to our technical ability in a Caribbean tournament.

  3. ..Not to sound arrogant like the Gringos recently, but we are “a step or two behind”….Bermuda? Really? With a team that had an Italian staff and that has been in training, including camps, for a year? But not to worry. Is a “new era”. ..

  4. Shakira, can you give us a team list with substitutions and unused subs too? So we can follow the changes in the squad and people can tell who is in the team? Thanks

    • Gk- Makida Herbert #20, Roshun Williams #3 (Tyanna Williams), Moenesa Meijas #5, Afiyah Cornwall #7, Nathifa Hackshaw #8 (Chrissy Mitchell), Maria-Frances Serrant (Aaliyah Prince) #10, Aaliyah Pascall #12, Kya Edwards #13, Tianna Daniel #16, Kara Trotman #18, Sarah De Gannes .
      Unused Substitutes were Chelsea Ramnauth, Isabella Collins, Kayla Baboola & Jessica Harragin

  5. And of course all the bootleg Coaches in our sweet country really have to get their acts together if they really want to beat up my second sweetest country consistenetly eh. Them really good yes.

  6. I was invited to two games yesterday, one at St. Mary’s grounds Belmont VS Diego Martin West and at the Mandela field Holy name convent VS Corpus Criste and although there are two or three players on each team that seems to know the subject our football is more than a step or two behind eh and this is because these players never was taught the beautiful game at a very younger age and I also blame the corrupted Jack Warner and his cronies for not putting things in place 30 years ago when the corrupted TTFA made plenty millions of monies but instead use the same million of monies for their own interests but now that the right things are being put in place with respect to the elite program and the building of the home for our national teams, with respect to the fields and other stuff that my dictator president said eh, hopefully our football will definitely rise again sometime in the future and we will once again see some players like these once again representing our sweet country. . Them really good yes

  7. Isn’t the Trinidad and Tobago that we know, a step or two behind??

  8. That seems to be the excuse of every national coach we are a step or two behind. Spinning top in mud.

  9. I saw that team at the Opening of WOLF and I knew that said day that they were being sold a fools paradise

  10. When would we stop being a step behind

  11. That comment was made because they are without the head of the women’s programme Caroline Morace who the TTFA failed to pay, resulting in her departure, which inevitably set us back because the team reached a certain level and now they had to revert to a previous coach with a different philosophy and a different system, these are young girls so it will affect them

  12. How often has this been the story of both genders of football..manual transmissions in the age of tip-tronic gear shifting.

  13. Congrats Shakira Thompson on your new appointment……..BOOM

  14. Who is this TTFA press officer, Shakira Thompson? A new appointment?

  15. Not me nah…you read that comment and you think that it was made by someone other than the coach.

    When you realize it is the actual coach, you then think that maybe he was hired like a few weeks or a month ago, and really wasn’t in a position to get them to not be “a step or two behind”?

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