St. Kitts and Nevis got the victory over Antigua and Barbuda they had hoped for at Hasely Crawford Stadium, on Sunday, by a 2-1 scoreline in the CFU Women’s Caribbean Cup 2014, but it was only consolatory as both teams exited the tournament.
The Kittitians showed great character to come back from an early deficit and sealed it with a Pheonetia Browne goal in the final of four stoppage time minutes after Kerisha Powell levelled in the second half.
Both teams had already lost to hosts Trinidad and Tobago and Martinique, though, who faced off last night to determine the Group B winners and automatic finalists. That rendered the match merely academic.
Antigua and Barbuda had the advantage in the fifth minute when Breanna Humphreys deflected a left side shot into the goal of St. Kitts custodian Tynetta McKoy after the initial shot came in from a corner kick.
That left St. Kitts to press for the equaliser, and they could have been level inside of 20 minutes. Their first real chance came in the 19th through a corner kick, but Antiguan goalkeeper Nikisha Samuel made a great stop while going the wrong way to neutralise Powell’s header.
While the Kittitians looked more purposeful going forward for the first half hour, their play in the final third let them down. Antigua and Barbuda’s more robust attack, particularly from the left, seemed more likely to trouble the scoresheet.
As the half wore on, Antigua seized control, with the imposing Marley Jarvis muscling her way through to meet a long pass, though her action did not match her intent.
Her delivery in the 35th should have prompted Antigua’s second, but Shery-Ann Bertrand’s hesitation allow the Kittitian defence to recover.
After the break, St. Kitts kept searching for the equaliser. But Powell acted goal-shy when she caught her opponents napping at the back just two minutes in. Her strike partner Browne also fluffed her lines from eight metres.
The reward for their persistence finally came in the 70th, as Caroline Springer sent a free kick in from the right, and Powell finally found her radar, heading downward as the ball trickled past the flailing arms of Samuel, who should have stopped it.
They came close again in the 80th through Powell, who just couldn’t find the net from the penalty area, but Browne showed her how to do it, turning in a smart cross from the right by Springer.
CFU Women’s Caribbean Cup result: Antigua & Barbuda 1 (Breanna Humphreys 5th) vs St Kitts/Nevis 2 (Kerisha Powell 70th, Pheonitia Browne 90th