Barbados’ Abiola Grant (L) keenly watches the ball dribbled
by St. Kitts’ Cordelle Romney as another Bajan trident, Tajio
James, close-marks. Photo by George Alleyne
Reggae Girlz set
to make history
Caribbean Life, M BQ arch 29–April 4, 2019 47
By George Alleyne
Barbados beat St. Kitts
and Nevis 2-0 in a friendly
fixture that is part of the
Bajans’ preparation for the
Confederation of North, Central
America and Caribbean
Association Football (CONCACAF)
Under-17 tournament.
The Barbados Tridents win
in the game they hosted at
the Wildey Astroturf came
thanks to two first half goals
from midfielders Devonte
Richards and Nathan Skeete.
The result was a true
reflection of the game as the
Tridents dominated run-ofplay
for the entire 90 minutes
plus injury time.
Barbados is the 14th
ranked side in the 16-team
line up for the Confederation
of North, Central American
and Caribbean Association
Football under-17 elimination
competition which plays
May 01 to 16 at the IMG
Academy in Bradenton, Florida
.T
he Tridents are in Group
F that places them among
regional powerhouses United
States of America, Canada
and Guatemala.
Four successful teams
from this Under-17 tournament
will go forward to
represent CONCACAF at the
2019 FIFA World Cup in Brazil
from Oct. 5 to 27.
Other Caribbean teams
in the Florida elimination
play-off are Jamaica, ranked
7th; Haiti, 8th; Trinidad and
Tobago, 9th; Suriname, 12th;
Bermuda 15th; and Guyana
16th.
By Nelson A. King
The Jamaica Tourist Board
(JTB) said on Thursday that
the island’s Reggae Girlz will
be one of four newcomers to
soccer’s global showpiece, the
FIFA Women’s World Cup,
which gets underway on June
7, 2019 in France.
“This historic feat was
achieved last October when the
Reggae Girlz became the first
Caribbean nation to qualify
for the Women’s World Cup,
defeating Panama on penalties
in the third-place game
at the CONCACAF qualifying
tournament,” the JTB said in a
statement.
It said the team is continuing
its preparations “to ensure
its readiness for their opening
match versus Brazil on June 9
in Grenoble.”
“As a destination, we are
always happy to celebrate the
achievements of our sporting
ambassadors, and I congratulate
the Reggae Girlz on their
historic feat,” said Donovan
White, Jamaica’s director of
tourism.
“Jamaica’s prowess in the
field of sports is well-known,
and we are excited that our
women’s soccer program and
the Reggae Girlz have achieved
such remarkable success,” he
added. “As the team gets ready
for the World Cup, we’d like to
encourage Jamaicans at home
and abroad, as well as friends of
Jamaica, to support the team
on their journey to France.”
Following their recent twomatch
series win over the 38th
ranked Chileans, White said
the Reggae Girlz will now “turn
their attention to their upcoming
training camp from April
1-9 in South Africa, where they
will play South Africa’s national
team.”
The team will then play their
final match in Kingston, the
Jamaican capital, versus Panama
on May 19 before departing
for the World Cup.
Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz are
now ranked 53rd, having moved
up 11 places in the December
2018 FIFA rankings.
Barbados
beat
St. Kitts