Turks and Caicos Girls U14 Football Team Showcase Tenacity and Growth at 2023 CFU Challenge Series

From the 18th to the 27th of August, Antigua & Barbuda hosted the 2023 Caribbean Football Union Under 14 (CFU14) Challenge Series.  This competition was designed to aid in the development of the participating players as they grow in the sport of football.

On August 19, 2023, the U14 National team of Turks and Caicos (TCA) faced off against Aruba (ARU) at The ABFA Technical Center in St. John's, Antigua.  The game got off to a rough start for the Turks and Caicos team, with Aruba gaining the upper hand within just four minutes and maintaining their lead throughout.  Despite falling behind, the girls remained determined and fought valiantly until the end.  By halftime, the score was ARU 3:0 TCA.  However, during the remainder of the game, the girls' team from the Turks and Caicos Islands played with incredible determination, effectively shutting down the opposing team from scoring any further goals.

Day Two: August 21st, 2023. They’re back better than ever!

During their second game in the competition, the girls played against the Cayman Islands (CAY).  Both teams played an intense and vigorous game, each determined to win.  The Cayman Islands team scored in the game's second minute and again in the seventh minute, possibly hoping to intimidate the Turks and Caicos Islands team.  However, if this was their game plan, it failed, as Amika Jackson scored TCA's first goal in the 27th minute, showing that TCA was not to be underestimated.  Jemima Osmond then tied the game with TCA's second goal.  Despite being neck and neck, the game ended in defeat for the Turks and Caicos Islands team, with the final score being CAY 3:2 TCA.

As of August 23, 2023, we were three days into the competition and once again facing ARU, a team that has proven to be a challenge for TCA.  Aruba had their sights set on victory and scored the first goal in the 18th minute.  TCA was determined to prevent further goals and take the lead, while ARU fought to maintain and increase their lead.  Despite their efforts, the odds were in Aruba's favour, and the game ended with a score of ARU 2:0 TCA.

Day 4: August 24th, 2023. Are we going to the Semis?

In their last match, TCA played against the Cayman Islands.  With ARU and CAY in the lead, TCA had to score big to move up the leaderboard and surpass CAY.  Both teams were aware of what was at stake and were determined to win.  The match was intense, with both teams craving victory.  The first goal was scored by TCA's Edna Jenty in the 21st minute, leaving the score at 1:0 in favor of TCA at the end of the first half.  With so much at stake, CAY and TCA fought just as hard in the second half.  TCA needed to apply a lot of pressure and make intense plays to qualify for the Semi-finals, especially since CAY had leveled the playing field in the 47th minute.  As the referee blew the final whistle, TCA realized that their spot in the SEMI-finals had slipped through their fingers, and the Cayman Islands had qualified instead.

Head Coach Yunelsis Baez had this to say in response, “The players played an acceptable tournament if we consider that our team was in the league at the highest level of the series and that our players did not have previous international experience.  Although they are very young players, they showed improvement in each successive match.  They were competitive, and most importantly, they had fun playing.  The girls being motivated to continue practising this beautiful sport shows that CFU's development objective for this tournament was met.”

Aaron Lawrence, the goalkeeper coach, also shared this comment, “Although the outcome wasn't what we desired, our girls gave it their all and demonstrated remarkable perseverance until the end; we are immensely proud.”