The Cayman Islands Women’s Under-17 National Team has officially completed its run in the CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Qualifiers in Willemstad, Curaçao, ending strong with a commanding win.
Competing in Group C at the FFK Stadium, the 21-player Cayman squad faced a rigorous schedule of four matches between 25 Jan. and 2 Feb. as they sought a spot in the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Double the wins and losses
The campaign opened on 25 Jan. with Cayman falling short of the win with a narrow 1-0 loss to Guatemala. Despite a disciplined defensive performance from the Caymanian side, Guatemala managed to break the deadlock in the 85th minute of play to secure the win.
Cayman rebounded on 29 Jan. in a high-scoring encounter against Antigua and Barbuda, winning 4-3.
Cosabella Windsor opened the scoring for Cayman in the ninth minute, followed by a goal from Reese Bateson in the 23rd minute.
Olivia Ridley added a third in the 34th minute following an assist from Bateson.
Bateson then found the net again in the 40th minute, assisted by Jada Dixon-Lam, to round out the scoring for the Cayman side.
On 31 Jan., Cayman faced their highest-ranked opponent in the group, Haiti.
The match ended in a 3-0 defeat for the Cayman ladies, as the Haitian side controlled the pace of the game.
Cayman concluded their group stage play on 2 Feb. with a convincing 3-0 victory over St. Lucia.
Bateson continued her strong form by scoring the opening goal in the 15th minute after an assist from Windsor.
Clara De Quintal doubled the lead in the 38th minute and the final goal of the match was scored by Kezia Parchmont in the 84th minute, assisted by Ridley.
With a record of two wins and two losses, the Cayman Islands finished third in Group C with Haiti securing the top spot in the pool of five, while Guatemala finished in second place.
Under the tournament format, only group winners and the best-performing runners-up advance to the final stage of qualification.
Prior to the start of the tournament, Haiti entered the competition ranked seventh, followed by Guatemala at 16th, the Cayman Islands at 18th, St. Lucia at 29th and Antigua and Barbuda at 30th.
‘Great progression’
Michael Johnson, Cayman’s head coach, said, “I am very proud of the girls and their performances this tournament. I believe the results show great progression for the Cayman Islands and confirm we are on the right track. We were able to compete fully with Central American powerhouse Guatemala and Caribbean giants Haiti.”
With next steps in mind, Johnson said the focus is on continuing to work hard “and trying to improve those small technical and tactical details so we can win these types of games”.
“Some of these young girls will now compete in the upcoming games in March and April at the senior national level, which will help fast track their development,” he added.
The upcoming matches are a continuation of the CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifiers where the senior Cayman women are currently scheduled to play Guatemala on 6 March, Costa Rica on 10 April and Grenada on 14 April as part of their pool C matches.
The Cayman Islands Women’s National Team started their campaign last year at home on 27 Nov. with a tough 4-0 defeat against Bermuda.
U17 captain reflections
Windsor, who is also Cayman’s U17 team captain, highlighted the pride of representing Cayman and achieving her pre-tournament objectives before arriving in Curaçao.
“Representing my country on the global stage is such an honour and our players and coaches have trained very hard leading up to this tournament. Being selected as captain was a highlight for me and I enjoyed leading and playing with this great group of girls.
“My personal goal going into the tournament was to beat St. Lucia and Antigua and be very competitive with Guatemala and Haiti. We successfully completed these goals, and we were even able to hold Guatemala to a 0-0 score line up until the 85th minute,” she said.
Windsor was quick to credit the defensive unit and the standout offensive performances that defined their run.
“We had amazing saves from our goalkeeper Imogen Smailes and our strong defensive line led by Tessa Clarke and Shardaye Powell allowed us to concede minimal goals – even against highly ranked nations like Haiti. I was extremely proud of our seven goals scored throughout the tournament – with Reese Bateson brilliantly scoring 3 of them,” Windsor said.
Looking ahead, Windsor remains optimistic about the trajectory of the programme.
“I know as a team we were all very grateful to have Coach Michael and the coaching staff’s unwavering support and guidance throughout the tournament. I can’t wait to see the possibilities for this team’s future and with hard work and determination.
“I am certain that we will continue to progress as individuals, with many hoping to commit to D1 and D2 universities for football, and overall as a nation in women’s football,” Windsor concluded.
Related Videos
Congratulations to our young ladies, an excellent performance on foreign soil, against some very experienced teams.