Blackbirds put 20 goals past Overawed combined women

By Morissa Lindsay

It really was a no-contest as University of the West Indies Blackbirds trounced Combined Women 20-0, in the ongoing Barbados Football Association Women’s Super League competition played yesterday at Briar Hall. It was complete annihilation.

Competing on the outfield that was wet and definitely slippery, the UWI team comprising many of Barbados’ current national players were unstoppable with the powerfully built striker Rianna Cyrus accounted for a whopping 11 goals and having the opponents at her mercy.

When there is a group of women who want to play football but do not have the skills or basic fundamentals to play at a highly competitive level, the end result is likely to be the type of score line that occurred yesterday. To make matters worse, Combined Women had a mere seven players to start the match and with the depth and quality of UWI’s team led by experienced captain Khadijah Mars, the outcome was a distinct inevitability.

Joining the UWI scoring party were fellow senior national players Shanice Stevenson with a four-goal haul, Adrienne Forde accounted for a hat-trick, while Denea Payne and Alyssa Yard registered one goal each. The ball hardly made it past UWI’s defensive third as Combined Women struggled on offence and rarely got much touch on the ball.

While the return of women’s football is good for local sport, the massive scorelines are disheartening because this is not the first time Combined Women in particular have been so badly beaten. It is a clear indication that a lot more work is needed by the Barbados Football Association and the individual clubs in the development of the women’s game in the island.

Cyrus scored in the 5th, 13th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 37th, 40th, 45th, 47th, 53rd and 56th minutes and there was no one on Combined Women’s who looked likely to stop her or Stevenson. Stationed on the right-wing, Stevenson’s speed and tactical ability was excellent and that was where many of UWI’s playmaking moments occurred as the ball repeatedly found Cyrus positioned in the middle for the finishing touches.

Stevenson’s four goals came in the 19th, 52nd, 55th and 59th along with Forde with her hat-trick in the 21st, 23rd and 42nd while Payne and Yard added theirs in the 30th and 58th minutes respectively.

The final whistle brought undoubted relief for Combined Women and their supporters.

The BFA Republic Cup men’s competition also continued yesterday. At Briar Hall, FC Mega Ballers defeated Benfica 4-1 with a brace from Shakir Knight in the 71st and 84th minutes along with one added by Adrian Applewaite in the 44th and Jahiem Thompson in the 85th. Scoring the lone goal for Benfica was Malique Morgan in the 48th minute.

Over at Dover, Kickstart won 3-0 against Youngboyz with a brace from Luke Humphrey in the 18th and 45th minutes along with another from Nicholas Best in the 54th. At the same venue, Fitts Village won 4-2 against Barbados Fire Service.

There were matches played at Greens in St. George and Potential Ballers and Hillaby played to a 1-1 draw while CL Spartans edged St. Phillip 3-2. The playoffs will be decided by next weekend after the last set of matches concludes. morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb