Belize Dominates Turks and Caicos in Women's Concacaf Gold Cup, Maintains Perfect Record with 3-0 Win
In a highly-anticipated Concacaf Road to Women's Gold Cup match held at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan, Belize, the national women's football teams of Belize and Turks and Caicos Islands met for a second time on October 30th, 2023.
The Turks and Caicos Islands Women's National Team, still searching for their first victory in the tournament, faced a formidable opponent in Belize, who had maintained an unblemished record thus far.
The score remained level at 0:0 for a significant portion of the first half until Belize was awarded a crucial free kick in the 44th minute. Mikhaila Bowden executed the free kick precisely, and Katie Jones capitalised on the opportunity, scoring a goal that would see Belize leading 1:0 at the end of the first half.
The second half witnessed Belize extending their lead as Khalydia Velasquez netted a goal in the 48th minute. Jones continued her remarkable performance by scoring her second goal of the night with a skilful header from a corner kick, increasing Belize's lead to 3-0.
In the 56th minute, Turks and Caicos Women's National player Pekiera Brooks received her second caution of the night. She was subsequently sent off, leaving her team with a numerical disadvantage for the remainder of the match.
The final whistle blew with the score at 3-0 in favour of Belize, solidifying their undefeated record in the tournament.
Head Coach Aaron has shared the following comments, "The match against Belize showed a great improvement from all the players. We focused on maintaining possession of the ball throughout the game and were successful in doing so. We were more aggressive in their half of the field, and we defended well while creating opportunities to score. Despite losing a player and being down to 10 players, we fought hard and stayed in the game. I am extremely proud of all the players for giving their best effort on the field each game. We have made progress and will continue to work towards achieving the desired outcome. Despite the team being a better team (Belize) than us, we matched up with them.”