Jordan Vieira scored a double as the T&T men’s hockey team got their campaign off in the inaugural Hockey5s Pan American Cup (PAC) Tournament in Kingston, Jamaica, with an impressive 5-1 victory over Costa Rica on Sunday.
The tournament, being played at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus Turf, is being used as qualifiers for the Men’s and Women’s FIH Hockey5s (five-a-side) 16-team World Cup set for January 2024 in Muscat, Oman.
Coached by former national player Darren Cowie, T&T wasted little time in grabbing the advantage, courtesy of a field goal from Vieira in just the second minute.
Shaquille Daniel gave the men in red, white, and black a two-goal advantage in the third minute, courtesy of another field goal while England-based player Teague Marcano, who returned to the team after helping guide his team Southgate Hockey Club to promotion to the Outdoor Premier Division, then handed T&T a third item from the open field in the ninth minute.
Cowie’s men took their 3-0 lead to the halftime interval and emerged even hungrier. From another field goal in the 11th minute, Vieira got his second goal of the match which gave his team a more-than-comfortable 4-0 advantage.
But before the celebration could be completed, the Costa Ricans pulled a goal back through Picado Iker in the 11th minute. The goal appeared to be a sort of rejuvenation for the Costa Ricans but it was too late.
Mickell Pierre sealed the lopsided win with a goal in the 12th minute.
Later, the T&T women’s unit was also victorious on Sunday, beating the home team, Jamaica, 2-1 with the winner coming from Amie Olton.
Felicia King-Ashby scored the opening goal for T&T in the fourth minute but Imauny Linton levelled the scores in the seventh.
Five minutes later, Olton put T&T ahead, 2-1, which they held on to when time expired.
The T&T women will next play against Uruguay on Monday while the men will have a date with Guatemala from 4.40 pm (TT time).
Sunday, June 4 results:
Men
Pool B:
Paraguay 2 vs Guatemala 1
T&T 5 vs Costa Rica 1
Pool A:
Puerto Rico 3 vs Panama 2
USA 4 vs Jamaica 2
Women
Pool A:
Paraguay 4 vs Costa Rica 0
Guatemala 2 vs Panama 1
USA 8 vs Costa Rica 0
Paraguay 7 vs Panama 0
Pool B:
Uruguay 7 vs Brazil 0
T&T 2 vs Jamaica 1
Upcoming matches:
Men's competition
:
Today
Pool B:
Paraguay vs Costa Rica, 4 pm
T&T vs Guatemala, 4.40 pm
Pool A:
Puerto Rico vs USA, 5.20 pm
Jamaica vs Panama, 8 pm
Tomorrow (Tuesday, June 6)
Pool B:
Guatemala vs Costa Rica, 5.20 pm
Paraguay vs T&T, 6 pm
Pool A:
USA vs Panama, 6.40 pm
Jamaica vs Puerto Rico, 8 pm
Women’s competition
Today
Pool A:
Panama vs Costa Rica, 2 pm
Guatemala vs USA, 2.40 pm
Paraguay vs USA, 6.40 pm
Costa Rica vs Guatemala, 7.20 pm
Pool B:
T&T vs Uruguay, 3.20 pm
Brazil vs Jamaica, 6 pm
Tomorrow (Tuesday, June 6)
Pool A:
USA vs Panama, 3.20 pm
Guatemala vs Paraguay, 4 pm
Pool B:
Brazil vs T&T, 4.40 pm
Uruguay vs Jamaica, 7.20 pm