Lady Tridents confident of victory over Bermuda

Lady Tridents confident of victory over Bermuda

By Rawle Toney

The Lady Tridents are gearing up to face Bermuda on Friday with all eyes focused on securing three points to keep their Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup qualification hopes alive.

Barbados’ women’s football team began their Group C, League B campaign with an impressive 5-0 victory over St. Vincent and the Grenadines at home, but were blanked 3-0 by the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo on September 26.

With just two days to go before their all-important clash at the Wildey AstroTurf, captain Kamliah Burke maintained that team’s spirit is high, and that they are optimistic about advancing to the next round.

Speaking with Barbados TODAY before a training session on Wednesday evening, Burke said even though Bermuda was currently leading the group having defeated the Dominican Republic and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, their only focus is to end the night with maximum points.

“Football is played on the day so we’re not looking at them (Bermuda) as being the top team in the competition, but like any other team. So we will come and put in the effort needed,” Burke, who is also the team’s goalkeeper said.

Meanwhile, technical director of the Barbados Football Association (BFA), Emmerson Boyce believes the Lady Tridents can upset the Bermudans, pointing to the team’s confidence, especially playing at home.

“They had a great performance last time they were in Barbados and we want to carry on that momentum now and have another great result,” Boyce, a former Crystal Palace defender said.

“I say the players are full of confidence. The last game didn’t quite go to plan how we wanted it to go, but that’s football. It’s all part of learning and they’re eager to make that right, so it’s gonna be an exciting game for us and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

Barbados faces the challenge of winning all their remaining matches to have a realistic shot at advancing to the playoffs and securing a spot in its first major Concacaf tournament—a goal that Boyce believes is attainable.

Boyce, however, acknowledged that the upcoming match would be tough, especially considering the demanding nature of back-to-back games.

However, he expressed confidence in the team’s abilities, pointing to their impressive 5-0 victory against St. Vincent as evidence of their strength.

“Friday can’t come soon enough, and I’m more than sure that the mood in the camp is really good and they can’t wait for the game to start. We’re taking it one game at a time but our ultimate goal is to get through,” Boyce said.

He stressed the team’s approach of taking it one game at a time while maintaining the ultimate goal of advancing.

He added, “I think every team that’s playing in this competition now wants to go through and Barbados is no different. That’s the standard we’ve set, anything less we’ll be disappointed, but we’re still developing and still learning, so, we’ll take every game as it comes.

Although Boyce didn’t delve into the specifics of the squad’s composition, he expressed his satisfaction that more overseas players are showing interest in representing the Lady Tridents, indicating a promising future for women’s football in Barbados.

Following Friday’s game, the Lady Tridents will travel to Hamilton for a return game against Bermuda on October 31.

Barbados will then host the Dominican Republic on December 1 and then will wrap things up away to St Vincent and the Grenadines on December 5.
rawletoney@barbadostoday.bb