MIAMI, Florida – The February window of 2022 Concacaf Women’s Qualifying came to a close on Tuesday with Barbados, Suriname, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Bermuda collecting their first victories of the campaign.
Rianna Cyrus of Barbados takes a shot during the match against Aruba. (Photo: CONCACAF/STRAFFON IMAGES/MIGUEL GUTIERREZ)In one of the most exciting matches of the day, Barbados held off a very tough Aruba side 3-1 in the Dominican Republic for their first win in Group D.
Soraya Toppin-Herbert had Barbados out in front early, 1-0, in the fourth minute and Rianna Cyrus doubled the advantage to 2-0 in the 34th, but Aruba refused to give in and managed to pull a goal back in the 68th minute from Vanessa Susanna.
Aruba pushed for an equalizer in hopes of garnering a point, but Barbados would get an insurance score in the 90th minute through Cheyanna Burnett-Griffith to complete the 3-1 scoreline.
Despite suffering two defeats in the window, Aruba scored a goal in each game, having found the back of the net in their previous match versus El Salvador (7-1).
Suriname also have their first three points in Group A following a 5-0 victory over Anguilla in Paramaribo, Suriname.
Van Ommermen Ravelcheny led the way with a hat trick (25’, 38’, 49’), while Andaya Lantveld (57’) and Amy Banarsie (61’) also contributed goals.
St. Kitts and Nevis put on a show in Group B, emerging with a 5-1 win over Curacao in the Dominican Republic.
It was a heart-stopping start to the action, with three goals in the first seven minutes. Ellie Stokes had St. Kitts and Nevis ahead 1-0 in the second minute, only for Curacao to level through Taisha Hansen three minutes later. But St. Kitts and Nevis came back in the seventh minute with Phoenetia Browne giving her side a lead they would not relinquish.
Brittney Lawrence then bagged a brace (23’, 56’) and Jahzara Claxton put the finishing touch on the victory in the 90+3 with a goal for the 5-1 final.
In a match played at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, Bermuda bounced back from their 4-0 opening loss to Jamaica with a 6-0 win over Cayman Islands in Group B.
Three players accounted for the six goals, with Nia Christopher (25’, 40’, 55’) scoring a hat trick, Leilanni Nesbeth (8’, 90+3’) collecting a brace and Keunna Dill (66’) also finding the scoresheet.
“I sat on a cooler on the side and just enjoyed watching these young ladies play football, which is where we need to be,” Bermuda coach Naquita Robinson said afterwards.
“Now we go to the Dominican Republic next. On paper, everyone has them as the second best team in the group but we go into that game full of confidence.”
Robinson added: “If we put the performance against Jamaica and tonight’s performance together, I think we’ll have another great showing against the Dominican Republic.”
Turks and Caicos Islands was demolished 19-0 by Nicaragua in the Group F contest in Managua.
Honduras have three points under their belt in Group E after posting a 4-0 win versus British Virgin Islands in San Pedro Sula. Despite the loss, it was an outstanding defensive improvement for the BVI from their previous encounter when they lost to Cuba 14-0.
