T&T's Under-21 women's hockey team got its first win in Pool One of the Junior Pan American Hockey Challenge in Bridgetown, Barbados Tuesday by edging the host nation Barbados 2-1.
After an opening match demolition 8-0 to Mexico on Saturday and then a 13-0 loss to Puerto Rico, the following day, the "Calypso Stickwomen" needed to win to keep their chances alive in the tournament with only the top two teams in the pool advancing past the group stage.
The Robyn Dash-led T&T team responded accordingly when Natania Rowe pushed her team ahead after just the 13th minute of the opening period 1-0 from the field at the Sir Garfield Sobers Sports Complex Hockey Centre in Wildey, Bridgetown.
The goal left a period of deafening silence with the hometeam also going down to a heavy defeat in their first match 6-0 to a powerful Puerto Rican outfit. However, the home team, cheered on by their fans tried again for a rebounded, only for the wind to be taken out of their sails a second time, seven minutes later.
The goal, coming from a penalty corner was lashed in by Robyn Dash after the 20th minute, enabling the women in red, white and black the chance to celebrate another time in the encounter. The T&T women touched down in the land of the flying fish late Friday night and were forced to take the field the following day against a fine-tuned Mexican team without having a training session to prepare.
But yesterday, three days after coach Kristin Thompson and her charges had the opportunity to prepare, the early advantage pointed to the impact of their late arrival and subsequent early encounter, which followed little to no preparation.
Still, they were far from finished as the home team battled to reduce the scoreline. In the 36th minute, they were rewarded for their hard work when Sterre De Koning fired the ball past the T&T goalkeeper from a similar penalty corner for a final score of 2-1.
The Calypso Stickwomen will now attempt to refocus when they face Guatemala in their fourth match today at 10 am and later take on Guyana to conclude the group on Friday at the same venue.
Meanwhile, the T&T under-21 men will spring into action today against Guatemala.