Martin shines as T&T U-20s down Bermuda 3-0; Canada maul Dominica 22-0

The Trinidad and Tobago Women’s National Under-20 Team opened their 2025 Concacaf Championship Qualifiers on a winning note tonight, as they defeated Bermuda 3-0 at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva.

But it was not as straightforward as it sounds.

For the first hour of the match, both sides were locked at 0-0 and appeared to be evenly matched in a physical and often scrappy affair.

Not for the first time, though, a touch of class from Orielle Martin separated Trinidad and Tobago from their rivals. The Bishop Anstey East student put the hosts ahead in the 66th minute with a neat finish off a Cherina Steele pass.

Martin got her second from the penalty spot at the stroke of regulation time while Madison Campbell got the other item from a free kick, which owed plenty to an error by the opposing goalkeeper.

Trinidad and Tobago coach Dernelle Mascall was happy with the result but conceded that it was tougher than the final score suggested.

“Hats off to the Bermuda team,” said Mascall, at the post-game press conference. “They were in it for 45 minutes. They are a talented bunch. I’m just happy we were able to gather ourselves [at halftime].”

Only the group winner advances to the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship, and let’s say Canada placed a marker down in Group E with a 22-0 demolition of Dominica.

Dominica goalkeeper Dymond Daniel is her team’s captain. However, she was totally out of her league against the North American bigwigs.

Perhaps understandably, Mascall and Martin, the team captain, preferred to focus on their outing against Dominica on Sunday—and leave the Canadian headache for a later date.

Bermuda, remember, pushed the Women Warriors close tonight.

“We knew [Bermuda] wasn’t going to be an easy [game],” said Martin. “[…] We just came out of a tournament (the Concacaf U-17 Women’s Qualifiers) and we did well. We know the feeling to fight, and we want to fight for each other in this tournament as well.”

It was just as well that Trinidad and Tobago were in a fighting mood. The Bermudan players were generally big and aggressive.

Within 20 minutes, the hosts had their first casualty as defender Mikaela Yearwood landed awkwardly—after being barged over from behind by Bermuda forward Breanna De Silva—and had to be replaced.

Yearwood ended the night in a sling.

Diminutive flanker Arianna Borneo faced her share of physicality too while Martin had a full-time warden in opposing captain Katherine Bean.

Trinidad and Tobago, intimidated by the moderate pressure applied on their backline on goal kicks, had already turned to long clearances too. Mascall’s team looked disjointed and unable to build momentum.

At the other end, Bermuda had a few decent attacking players but no method of getting the ball to them consistently either.

And so the game became an ugly slog.

At the interval, with the game still goalless, Bermuda coach Aaron Denkins strode out to meet his players and gave each one a high five. There could be little doubt which was the happier camp at that stage in the game.

Mascall blamed their first half showing on nerves.

“If you look at the composition of our team, [for] the U-20 players this is their first time at Concacaf and clearly in the first half nerves were glaring,” she said. “We weren’t able to put down the ball and play like we trained.”

In truth, just three Trinidad and Tobago starters (left back Soleil St Hill, midfielder Gabriel Ramdeen and forward Natalie Penniston-John) had not played Concacaf football before.

More relevant, though, Mascall found a solution.

Penniston-John was withdrawn with Martin pushed from attacking midfield into the forward line. And the Trinidad and Tobago captain’s influence grew with each touch of the ball.

Martin should have opened the scoring in the 54th minute, when she ran on to an incisive through-pass from winger Rasheda Archer, only to miss the target. But she made no mistake, 12 minutes later, when she rode a challenge from Bermuda defender Samara Darrell to put the Women Warriors ahead.

Mascall introduced Mariah Williams for Archer in the 72nd minute, and Williams made an immediate impact as she sashayed past two defenders before crossing to Borneo, who failed to hit the target despite being well placed.

Campbell, an early replacement for Yearwood, got Trinidad and Tobago’s second goal with a free kick from distance that Bermuda goalkeeper Taya Rodrigues badly misjudged.

And, after another glaring miss by substitute Ty’kaiya Dennis off a Martin cross, the Trinidad and Tobago skipper put the game to bed from the penalty spot after she was tripped in the area by opposing left back Christia Lugo-Elibox.

It was enough for a hearty round of applause from the 350+ partisan supporters in attendance.

“We want to be dynamic,” said Mascall, when asked about her preferred mode of play. “You shouldn’t be able to predict how we want to attack… There [are] not going to be [just] one or two ways we attack. We will try to use our strengths as best as we could.

“[Next up, we will] spend a little time with our mental coach and go back and try to build better relationships on the pitch.”

A fair start then. Just don’t mention the ‘C’ word.

“We are taking it one game at a time,” said Martin, “we are not worrying about Canada. [We have] Dominica next.”

(Teams)

Trinidad and Tobago (4-2-1-3): 1.Zaira Aimey (GK); 2.Jada Graham, 17.Mikaela Yearwood (16.Madison Campbell 24), 5.Anastasia O’Brien, 4.Soleil St Hill; 12.Gabriel Ramdeen, 6.Cherina Steele; 10.Orielle Martin (captain); 19.Ariana Borneo, 20.Natalie Penniston-John (8.Ty’kaiya Dennis 46), 7.Rasheda Archer (11.Mariah Williams 72).

Unused substitutes: 18.Kenisha Taylor (GK), 21.Zofia Richards (GK), 3.Hackeemar Goodridge, 9.J’Eleisha Alexander, 13.Calypso Ayoung, 14.Sumayah Brown, 15.Sheneil Findley.

Coach: Dernelle Mascall.

Bermuda (4-1-4-1): 1.Taya Rodrigues (GK); 3.Ny’asia White, 4.Samara Darrell, 19.Saony Trott, 8.Christia Lugo-Elibox; 21.Katherine Bean (captain) (16.Eva Tuzo 80); 9.Avani Patton, 20.Keyandae Lightbourne, 2.Jayla Peets-Butterfield, 10.Robin-Valana Pearman; 11.Breanna De Silva (18.Karis Brooks-Smith 79).

Unused substitutes: 12.Aaliyan Haffar (GK), 5.Dominique Brown, 6.Brittany Pacheco, 7.Kaylee Murray, 13.Ramiah Brangman, 14.Ja’shay Trott, 15.Calae Young-Gibbons, 17.Shantia Berkeley.

Coach: Aaron Denkins.

Referee: Odette Hamilton (Jamaica)

Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship Qualifiers

(Friday 22 February)

Canada 22 (Lea La Rouche 3, 27, 31, Kaylee Hunter 7, 22, 45, 54, 60, Sienna Gibson 9, Jadae Collin 11, 76, Ava Greco 35, Annabelle Chukwu 37, 45+2 pen, Kierra Blundell 47, 69, 88, Natelle El Mokbel 65, 75, 90, 90+2 Iba Oching 73), Dominica 0 at the Ato Boldon Stadium;

Trinidad and Tobago 3 (Orielle Martin 66, 90 pen, Madison Campbell 77), Bermuda 0 at Ato Boldon Stadium.

Upcoming fixtures

(23 February)

Bermuda v Canada, 4pm, Ato Boldon Stadium;

Dominica v Trinidad and Tobago, 7pm, Ato Boldon Stadium;

(25 February)

Bermuda v Dominica, 4pm, Ato Boldon Stadium,

Canada v Trinidad and Tobago, 7pm, Ato Boldon Stadium.