By Samuel Peters
Antigua Benna Girls are Leeward Islands Champions after claiming victory on Saturday night at the Raymond E G Guishard Technical Centre in The Valley, Anguilla when they secured victory over the hosts in the finals of the Women’s Leeward Islands Challenge Series via a penalty shootout following a one-all stalemate.
The Antiguans stamped their authority early in the match when the in-form Gabrielle De Suza opened the scorecard at the 15-minute mark. They were able to keep the home side at bay for most of the game until Coleen Johnson equalized in the 81st minute. With no team being able to score the decisive goal in regular time, the deciding factor to determine the winner was a penalty shootout.
The visitors showed exceptional composure, with Jada Benjamin, De Suza, Zolique Samuel, and Virginia Simon all successfully converting their penalties. In contrast, Anguilla struggled from the spot, with only Adaiah Linton managing to score from their four attempts.
At the tournament’s conclusion, De Suza was awarded the Most Valuable Player and Most Goals Awards, while fellow teammates Captain Anik Jarvis and Jada Benjamin won the Best Goalkeeper and Defender Awards. The match was overseen by head coaches Benjamin Gooden of Anguilla and Karen Warner of Antigua and Barbuda.
