Lester Vaughan girls soccer champs

LESTER VAUGHAN created history with a 2-1 victory over a spirited Princess Margaret side in the final of the inaugural 11-A-Side Coca Cola Barbados Secondary Schools Girls’ Football Tournament at the National Stadium on Thursday.Cheryse Rollins and Keyla King scored for Lester Vaughan, while Kamillah Hunte got a late consolation goal for Princess Margaret, displaying her accuracy by hitting the ball into an open goal bars from about 20 metres.“I feel great. The girls came a long way after only starting training last November for the seven-a-side tournament, which we also won. They are still learning how the game is played,” captain Sherece Holder said.Holder, who was named Best Midfielder and the tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP), plays club football for Technique in the Barbados Football Association’s women’s league and also represented Barbados in the CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifiers.“They are not as experienced as me but I admire the girls in my team because they have improved a whole lot, especially Latifa Forde and Ria Phillips,” she said.The national footballer said the women’s game in Barbados stands to benefit from having an annual schools tournament.“Only six schools came out to play but when the other teams see that there is a tournament for schoolgirls, they will want to come out and give it their best and this should boost the women’s football a lot more in Barbados,” she said. (EZS)