Despite a battling performance, The BVI lost 1-0 to Cayman Islands in their last game of the Concacaf Nations League, Saturday 12th October at Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts, and Nevis.
Coach Chris Kiwomya made just one change to the lineup that started the previous game against St Kitts and Nevis, as he looked to end a five-match losing streak, bringing in sixteen year old Jaadon Quashie in place of eighteen year old Johari Lacy, who picked up an injury in training the previous day, but was still missing key foreign based placed players such as Jerry Wiltshire, Joshua Bertie, T’Sharne Gallimore, Taylor Scarf, all of whom would have started, as well as goalkeepers Frankie Beckles and Mekhi Walters.
The very youthful BVI team, with an average age across the squad of just twenty, were under pressure from the get-go with Ikyjah Williams heading off the line inside two minutes from a Cayman Islands corner and from there the game became a bruising encounter with strong tackles all over the pitch.
Jaadon Quashie was booked inside ten minutes for one such late tackle, but the BVI defense stayed strong and fully utilized the skills of Tyler Forbes as the outlet. Omari Simmons took a yellow in the 15th minute as the BVI continued to more than match their opponents with physicality and intensity as they tried to get control and play out over the Caymans lines.
The game was still even at the thirty-minute mark, with Simon Cross, brought in at the eleventh hour as a replacement for the unavailable Beckles and the unavailable Mekhi Walters, standing firm on everything he faced including being flattened to the ground on one attack and showing a safe pair of hands.
A rare attack at the other end saw Quashie clash with Lachlin Lambert in the opponent’s goal, both going for a teasing ball into the box from Miguel Marshall. Lambert also had to be alert moments later to thwart Forbes as he raced towards goal.
The half time score remained 0-0.
The BVI had controlled most of the second half during their 1-3 defeat to St Kitts, 48 hours earlier, gaining much admiration from opposing coaches and it was Kiwomya again who rang the changes at the break, with Azarni Callwood, Tai Thomas and T’Khoy Morton coming on for Williams, Simmons and Quashie.
The ploy worked as the BVI applied some early pressure, with Forbes hitting a shot wide of the goal after a series of corners and long throws. With roles reversed and the Cyamans now forced into counter attacking play, Cross still had to be alert and showed good hands to stop a shot from Campbell, but the BVI were getting control of the game with Thomas bolstering the midfield.
However a lack of fitness and giving the ball away too easily began to take its toll and in the 60th minute Campbell Green saw his header flash over the bar after a rare Cross mistake, Callwood and Forbes almost linked up on the edge of the Cayman box, but the danger was cleared, Marshall had to be alert to stop Trey Banks, a long ball from Cross was controlled by Chalwell, who drew a foul and the resultant free kick created some panic in the Cayman’s box. Joel Mars came on as did Momchil Yordanov with 25 minutes to go.
Then disaster when substitute, Dimetri Douglas, only on the pitch for a few minutes, nodded home from a corner to put Cayman up 1-0.
There was no way back for the BVI who fell to a sixth straight loss and finished bottom of the group.
BVI squad: Kavon Ceasar (capt), Simon Cross, Akeem Paddy, Kristian Javier, Miguel Marshall, Jadon Abrams, Luka Chalwell, Justin Smith, Ikyjah Williams, Jaadon Quashie, Omari Simmons, Tyler Forbes, T’Khoy Morton, Joel Mars, Johari Lacey, Azarni Callwood, Levon Williams, Tai Thomas, Momchil Yordanov, Rush Broderick.
The players take a break from National team duties, until they face Dominica and Jamaica in group play of World Cup qualifying in June 2025.