The St. Kitts and Nevis U-17 Women’s team started off their Concacaf Women’s U-17 Tournament Campaign, on a high with a 4-1 drubbing of the US Virgin Islands at the IMG Academy in Florida on Thursday. First half goals from Sharema Blake (15’) and Mikayla Gumbs (25’) had Saints Kitts and Nevis in control with a 2-0 halftime lead.
The USVI would make things interesting though, as a Malaika Rouse own goal (56’) made for a compelling final half-hour of play. However, in the end, goals from Trisha Nisbett (77’) and Jahzara Claxton (90+4’) sealed the 4-1 triumph for Saint Kitts and Nevis.
St. Kitts and Nevis coach Earl Jones, in a phone interview from Florida after the match, was pleased with the team’s performance, but said there is room for improvement. “We could do a lot better. Kudos to them; we won the game but there is a lot of for room for improvement,” he said. “We have some areas we need to sharpen up on and we have to do it before the next game,” Coach Jones added.
Prior to the match he expressed confidence that the team will excel. “Preparations have been extraordinary. The coaching staff has been doing a very good job on and off the field,” he said. Captain of the team Malaika Rouse, shares the same confident as her coach that the young sugar girls will excel in this tournament. She explains why. “The spirit is high right about now. Everybody is confident, ready and willing to play,” she said.
St. Kitts and Nevis is in Group A with Dominica, US Virgin Islands and Suriname. The Sugar Girls will next play Suriname on Friday. The St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association congratulates the team in their victory and wishes them all the best as the tournament progresses.
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