THERE?WILL?BE no title sharing in the 2012 Barbados Women’s Football?League.
And this Sunday, either Empire or the National Sports Council (NSC) will be crowned as queens of women’s football for the first time.
After playing to a thrilling 1-1 draw before a sizeable crowd last Sunday at the Barbados Football Association’s (BFA)?new AstroTurf Facility at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex in Wildey, the teams will have to return to the same venue to settle the score this Sunday at 3 p.m.
This season, nothing separated the two unbeaten teams as they both boasted an identical record of 10 wins and two draws, finishing on 32 points. They also scored 55 goals and conceded just five for the same goal difference of 50.
According to the BFA’s rules and playing conditions, a championship play-off match will now be contested in a knockout format with extra time and penalty kicks should there be no winner in regulation time.
“Goal difference shall be used to resolve ties on points, in the first instance, then the number of goals scored by each team. If there is still no resolution, then the head-to-head score will be used.
“If there is still no resolution, a play-off game in accordance with Challenge Cup rules will be arranged by the Women’s Committee,” Rule 6K said.
NSC may be without their long-serving coach Richard Forde, who is also the national women’s coach, for the title decider as he is due to travel to Brazil on Saturday to take part in a football course.
“Of course, I have great faith in my assistants and my players and I expect that we will be the champions even in my absence,” said Forde.
Empire’s coach Roger Millar was also confident of winning.
“We will return on Sunday after fine-tuning with this second game as the guide, so that Empire can prove that they are the queens of football,” he said.
Empire’s forward Nickeisha Anthony will also be looking to be a lot more clinical in front of goal after missing at least three clear opportunities.
In spite of those errors, captain Tonia Jordan-Deane, Chazelle Cumberbatch, Annasmine Springer, Renee Lambert and the United States-based Gabriella Lopez battled hard to pressure the NSC’s girls.
Ironically, that pressure proved to be the catalyst for NSC as five minutes before half-time, former Genesis captain Giselle Fields showed why she has been campaigning in Australia with a superb opening goal.
Almost predictably, this season’s leading goalscorer Aalliyah Alleyne (27 goals) got the equalizer for Empire, who belatedly introduced the experienced Patrina Brathwaite in the second half.
Five minutes later Lopez hit a scorcher which could have sealed the match for Empire but the ball smacked into the right post to see the game ending in a stalemate and setting up next Sunday’s decider.
One would hope that the BFA?would see the need to have a few tents, temporary seating (bleachers) and a couple of chemical toilets at the facility, where phase 2 of the Goal Project is yet to start. (EZS/KB)
