T&T Defence Force women went one better than last year when they outclassed Grenada 3-0 to take home the title in the six-team 3W’s Tournament hosted by the T&T Defence Force FC at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, on Sunday.
The ‘Teteron women’ took the lead in the 14th minute when Shurella Mendez was on the spot at the far post to turn home a whipped-in right-sided cross from Alexcia Ali, with Grenada goalkeeper Kinda Lambert left helpless.
Despite dominating ball possession, the Shenelle Arjoon-captained T&T Defence Force failed to add to their tally before the interval, and with the score at 1-0, it was still game-on in the second half, while at the other end of the field, they were able to keep the dangerous Nia Fleming-Thompson quiet.
However, substitute Nikita Gosine, who replaced Dennecia Prince in the 46th minute, handed the host a two-goal cushion when she unleashed a right-footed blast from at the top of the 18-yard box into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal past Lambert, after an intended pass from Arjoon rebounded into her path.
With nine minutes left in the match, Aaliyah Trim, who also came off the bench to replace Mendez in the 74th minute, added her name to the scoresheet seven minutes later to seal her team’s triumph.
In the semifinals at the same venue on Friday night, T&T Defence Force blanked Pro Series Under-20s 4-0, while Grenada came from behind to outlast last year’s winners, Club Sando, 3-2.
An elated Brian London, coach of the winning Defence Force team, first credited the tournament organisers for putting on the tournament.
London, a calypsonian and also the coach of Secondary School Girls Football League National Inter-Col champions Pleasantville Secondary, said, “I think the tournament was a well-organised one, and the quality of the six teams showed in the level of football on display.
“It also served to fill a void because personally I think there is a need for more to be done for the women’s game locally, and this tournament provided the players with a chance for some top-level club football among some of the best players and teams.”
Reflecting on his team’s win, London said, “We have been the best team in local football for this season, barring our defeat in the T&T Women’s Football League (WoLF) final to Club Sando, which was our lone defeat this season.” And our win in this competition and the manner of our victories in our other matches only served to rectify and support my claims in saying so.”
London also credited coach Mashama Baptiste, a member of the T&T Defence Force Elite coaching staff which captured the Tier I League and Cup double, for the impact he made on the women’s team during the tournament.
“We were fortunate to have the assistance of Baptiste (Mashama) for the duration of the tournament, and his input on how we prepared for our matches tactically and technically was key to how we approached our matches and came out with the wins, as the players all bought into the work we did.”
London, who will now shift his focus to preparing Pleasantville Secondary for the 2026 SSFL season, also credited the team’s live-in camp during the competition for helping to build team chemistry and a better understanding between players and technical staff, which in the end was key to their triumph.
In Sunday’s opener, last year’s champons team Club Sando ended their tournament on a high with a 6-2 spanking of Pro Series Under-20s inspired by a hat-trick from veteran striker Kennya Cordner.
Cordner, who started the match on the bench, was a second-half introduction and made an immediate impact, with her first goal coming in the 52nd minute to level the scores at 2-2 before she added two more items in the 68th and 81st minutes.
Pro Series Under-20s had earlier taken the lead via an own goal from Orielle Martin in the 20th minute, but within nine minutes, Rasheeda Archer drew Club Sando at 1-1, which remained the score at the half-time interval.
Within five minutes of the restart, Sydney Pollard restored the lead for Pro Series Under-20s at 2-1, before Cordner turned the match on its head with her hat-trick in 29 minutes, with Archer completing her brace in the 62nd, while Afiyah Cornwall added a late penalty as well.
Last year, Club Sando won the title with a 2-1 triumph over T&T Defence Force at the same Mucurapo venue, with Gosine copping the ‘MVP’ award for the tournament champions.
Sunday’s Results
T&T Defence Force 3 (Shurella Mendez 14th, Nikita Gosine 48th, Aaliyah Trim 81st) vs Grenada 0
Third place playoff
Club Sando 6 (Kennya Cordner 52nd, 68th, 81st, Rasheeda Archer 29th, 62nd, Afiyah Cornwall 90th pen) vs Pro Series U-20s 2 (Oriella Martin o.g 20th, Sydney Pollard 50th)
Play-of-the-match: Kennya Cordner (Club Sando)
Individual awards:
Golden Glove: Kimika Forbes (T&T Defence Force)
Golden Boot: Nikita Gosine (T&T Defence Force)
Player of the Tournament: Nia Fleming-Thompson (Grenada)
