Trinidad and Tobago’s Under-20 women’s footballers will kick off their quest for FIFA World Cup qualification when they face St Kitts/Nevis from 1 pm on Sunday (T&T time) in their opening Group F fixture at the Estadio Panamericano in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.
Fellow Group F rivals Haiti and Cayman Islands will clash at 4 pm in the other match of the day.
On the back of two successive wins in their training matches, including a 3-0 win over Puerto Rico, T&T will be aiming to start on a winning note to stake an early claim for qualification into the knockout stage. The top three teams from the group will advance.
On Saturday, coach Richard Hood said: “For the most part, the players are fit and raring to go and they are looking forward to getting on the pitch and hopefully achieving our goal, which is to get a victory.
“We have been working really hard and we had a much deserved day off on Thursday. We have seen with each passing day that the confidence is growing within the squad. We are passing the ball better and there is a much better understanding of their roles and functions and it’s been a joy to see the positive development among the players. We are looking forward to a good start and a solid showing in the tournament.”
There have been two changes to the squad, with defender Shalisha King and Sydney Boiselle departing due to medical reasons and Jewels FC’s Celine Lorraine and Trincity Nationals’ Moenesa Mejias joining the contingent.
Afiyah Cornwall is expected to be T&T’s main weapon in attack after scoring five goals in three matches during the build-up. She came off the bench in the closing 15 minutes to score in the 3-1 win on Wednesday over local club Abril LDF, which included six members of Dominican Republic’s senior women’s team.