In a challenging encounter at Victoria Park in St. Vincent, Dominica’s senior women’s national team endured a tough defeat against Barbados, which showcased their strength with a commanding 7-0 victory in the WIFA Women’s Championship. A Dominica Football Association press release stated that although the island team displayed moments of resilience and effort, Barbados’s superior execution and control of the match ultimately sealed their dominance.
From the outset, Barbados took charge, scoring twice within the first two minutes of the game—once in the 21st minute and again in the 22nd—making it difficult for Dominica to recover, claims the DFA. The visitors’ early goals set the tone, and Dominica struggled to find their footing throughout the match, with frustrations mounting evidenced by two yellow cards awarded to Kiyanna Phillip in the 31st minute and Britney Dennis before halftime in the 43rd minute.
Despite the heavy defeat, Coach Ronnie Gustave reportedly acknowledged that there was noticeable progress amid the setbacks. He commented that a lack of chemistry and cohesion played a critical role in the outcome, but there was clear improvement and potential. He emphasized the challenge of rapidly assembling a team with limited time to develop on-field chemistry, noting, “And you know in football, chemistry is a lot. So try to find the girls and put them in position where we can get that kind of togetherness on the pitch. I mean, it’s a relatively new team, a young team. And what that is against us is, and I’ve said it in previous interviews, the basics.”
Gustave reflected positively on their performance in the match, stating, “And I have to say, this evening, that game there, although we get a lot of goals, but you could see it was one of our better games in the sense of, we had some nice moments in the game. Stringing the pass and trying to find the gates to go forward and take a few shots. Compared to the two previous games we played. We took it from the creative phase to the finishing and took a few shots on the keeper.”
DFA reports that Barbados dominated early, capitalizing on their momentum with quick succession goals. Their control persisted into the second half, with additional goals in the 51st and 56th minutes, followed by a free-kick conversion in the 58th. Despite receiving a yellow card of their own, Barbados remained aggressive and added another goal in the 72nd minute, further cementing their advantage.
According to the press release, “Dominica struggled to regain footing, and frustrations showed with two yellow cards in the first half—Kiyanna Phillip in the 31st minute and Britney Dennis in the 43rd.
Several players were highlighted by Coach Gustave for their effort including Rosalina Paul, Dymond Daniel, Jessica Pierre Louis, Jahricia Paul, and Anessa (Breanelle) Laurent.”
Tensions flared on the Dominican sideline when Goalkeeper Coach Melvin Angol was cautioned with a yellow card in the 81st minute. Barbados ultimately capped their comprehensive victory with a final strike in the 89th minute, bringing the final score to 7-0.
Coach Gustave highlighted the need for greater preparation and investment in the development of young players to elevate the team’s performance.
“Well, the thing I would say is the fitness level. The aggression we met in our game. The physicality in our game,” said Gustave.
“They have to push. I’m not going to wait only when we have training. The clubs have to work with them as well. You don’t just have to call the national team to do the same. You have to call the clubs to prepare the players before they are called up for nationality. I know the girls have it in them,” he continued.
“But if you want results, you have to spend. There’s no way you’re going to get results and you’re not spending. So you spend on the girls to put them in a program, to go in the gym, you know, aerobics, training, and so forth. There’s no doubt that we can produce a very good team, because, I mean, the other clubs, the other teams, I mean, all the teams they have overseas players.”
He also pointed out the importance of organization and preparation, noting, “You can see Barbados is well-organized. St. Lucia is well-organized. And the two of the teams we were watching in the tournament is Barbados and St. Lucia. You could see their structure. They are well-organized teams. They fought hard, you know, especially in a short space of time. And we have to see, I think, we have to have enough time to train, you know. We have to have enough time to
prepare a team for a tournament.”
Looking ahead, Dominica is set to face St. Vincent in the match for third place on Saturday at 6:30 PM.
Listen to the interview with Coach Gustave after the game:
So noone has figured out why the embarrassment keeps repeating itself so often?