PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Trinidad and Tobago edged arch-rivals Jamaica 1-0 in the final of the Caribbean Football Union Women’s Caribbean Cup, to claim the inaugural title here Tuesday.
An eighth minute strike from tournament Most Valuable Player Mariah Shade separated the teams after 90 minutes, leaving the hosts to celebrate with their fans at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
There was also success for Haiti who trounced Martinique 5-1 in the all French third playoff at the same venue in the preceding encounter.
Kensie Bobo scored a hat-trick, under-pinning a second half domination after Haiti held a 2-0 lead at the half-time whistle.
It was the final, however, which took centre stage. Both teams started strongly, with the Reggae Girlz making an early impression. However, the hosts got on the scoresheet with their first real attack when Shade eluded her marker, controlled a ball over the top and calmly slotted past goalkeeper Nicole McClure.
Jamaica applied pressure and twice came close to levelling before half-time. In the 19th minute, the prolific Shakira Duncan was set through on goal by Jodi-Ann McGregor only for defender Arin King to foil the move.
Then, five minutes before the break Christina Murray was gifted time and space to get off a long-range shot with goalkeeper Kimika Forbes having wandered off her line, but the shot flew wide of the uprights.
Early in the second half, Jamaica struck the uprights through Duncan and then squandered three chances in the last ten minutes to level the encounter, with substitute Shaneka Gordon the shooter on two occasions.
She first had a shot pushed wide in the 84th minute and then drilled another shot wide of the uprights, two minutes later.
Jamaica could have equalised in the 90th minute but Donna-Kay Henry failed to get her shot on target.
Earlier, Bobo put Haiti ahead in the 15th minute before Wilsin Dolce doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time.
Bobo stretched the lead to 3-0 with a 47th minute goal but Martinique pulled one back through Kelly Brena in the 64th minute. However, any hopes of a comeback were squashed when Manoucheka Pierre-Louis pumped in the fourth goal in the 70th minute.
Bobo finished off the rout by completing her hat-trick in the 72nd minute.
