THE Barbados Under-17 football team secured a 5-1 victory against Guyana in their opening match in Group D of the CONCACAF Under-17 Girls Championships, at the Guyana National Track And Field Centre on Wednesday night.
Catlin Padmore secured the first goal in the 16th minute, and an own goal came in the 20th. Captain Tia Briggs-Thompson netted one in the 49th minute, Tiana Sealy in the 51st, and Briggs-Thompson went on to seal the deal in the 70th minute.
The team, which has been together for nearly a year, is made up of players who participated in last year’s Under-15 tournament in the United States.
The local lasses are hoping to qualify for the 2018 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay as the CONCACAF representatives.
According to Carlos Fernandez, CONCACAF’s head of competitions and events, the stage has been set for the qualifiers, and into the championships set to be held next year.
“Apart from Haiti, which received a bye as hosts of the final round, the remaining 18 teams entered the first round, and were drawn into three groups of four teams and two groups of three teams.
“The winners of each group advance to the final round to join Haiti, where they are divided into two groups of three teams, with the top three teams qualifying for the final tournament as the CFU representatives,” he said during the draw in June.
The ladies will face Cuba in their final match today. (RA)
