The British Virgin Islands’ Under 17 football team ended the CONCACAF Championship on a winning note, after coming from behind to beat Saint Martin 2-1 in Bradenton, Florida earlier today.
Saint Martin netted the first goal against the local boys but they battled back to pull level through the cool finish of Johari Lacey to level the score 1-1.
Just a few minutes later, the BVI team found themselves ahead, thanks to Jadon Abrams who found the back of the net from the penalty spot to make it 2-1.
Speaking following the victory Lacey said, “I gave my team a boost with the goal…we then had the confidence to know we could win the game and finally get to celebrate a win and leave happy.”
He added, “The game was good with a high intensity…I had a feeling I was going to score today and could have had a hat trick. At the end of the day, we got the win, and it is a good feeling.”
Team Captain Jaden Abrams expressed that he was slightly disappointed overall with overall performance throughout the tournament, but felt the team continued to get better as the tournament progressed.
He said, “Overall we did all right but should have done better. As the Tournament progressed, we improved and today we finally got a win and will enjoy it.”
Meanwhile, Coach Jermain Abrams said he felt like a super proud dad, stating, “Not only of my two boys, Jaden the Captain and Jadon who scored the winner, but all of them have become like my sons during the Tournament – Azarni, Johari, Emanuel, Samuel, Nathaniel, Jefferson, Orett, Joel, Rush, JJ, Oli, Kai, T’Khoi, Curtis, Sean, Devon and if I missed anyone, then them too. I am really proud of all of them.”
Abrams did note that despite early setbacks the team had gotten better and gone from strength to strength and identified finishing as an area of the game that they really need to work on for the future.
In the game against Saint Martin, Abrams also recognized from early that Saint Martin could be exposed on the counterattack and even though the intensity of their opponents was a surprise, the BVI team kept patient and waited for their moments during the game to be decisive.
The BVI finished Group A fifth overall out of the six teams with one win and four points.
Bermuda was the group winner with a total of four wins and one loss as they finished ahead of Guyana on 12 points.