Bermuda 2 Cayman Islands 0

Bermuda made the perfect start to their Concacaf Under-17 Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign with victory over Cayman Islands in blustery conditions at the Estadio Centroamericano de Mayagüez in Puerto Rico yesterday.

A goal from 14-year-old striker Daley Outerbridge each side of the break secured the points for the Lady Gombey Warriors in their opening group A match.

The Caymans dominated possession and created more clear-cut chances but were ultimately undone by Outerbridge’s finishing in their first meeting.

The result puts Gary Adams’s team level on points with group leaders and hosts Puerto Rico, who beat St Vincent & the Grenadines 3-0 earlier in the day.

With the wind at their backs, the Caymans piled on early pressure as Bermuda sat deep and looked to catch their opponents on the counter-attack but were forced to make an unscheduled substitution when midfielder Siena Kelly injured her knee in a tackle.

The Caymans mounted waves of attacks down the right flank but lacked the cutting edge to cause Bermuda goalkeeper Taya Rodrigues any real problems.

Forward Milan Gibbons-Thomas squandered Bermuda’s first chance when she fired wide after creating space for herself just inside of the box.

The Caymans ramped up the pressure but were rocked just before the break when Outerbridge made the breakthrough after an attack down the right side.

Gibbons-Thomas did well to beat her marker and whip over a cross that took a deflection off the body of Cayman defender Malia Hydes, leaving Outerbridge in space to steer the ball beyond the onrushing Cayman goalkeeper Naomi Wilson.

Bermuda coach Adams made one change at the break with left back Antoinette Barry making way for Saony Trott, who was shown a yellow card for a rash tackle after being on the pitch for only three minutes.

Bermuda played a higher line with the wind at their back in the second half and began causing problems.

The relentless pressure eventually paid off, as the impressive Outerbridge grabbed a second to all but secure victory.

Wilson parried a fierce drive by Janiya Sealey and Outerbridge showed attacking instinct to be in the right place to slot the loose ball into an empty net.

With the Caymans hanging on, Bermuda kept their foot on the gas and threatened again when Wilson tipped midfielder Evans Welch’s long-range effort over the bar.

Cayman Islands created chances of their own in the closing stages but Bermuda held firm for a three points that gets them off to an ideal start.

Bermuda will now face St Vincent in their next group match tomorrow before taking on hosts Puerto Rico on Friday.

The top team from each of the six groups, along with the two best runners-up, will advance to the final round of the qualifiers, where they will be joined by the four top-ranked teams — United States, Mexico, Canada and Haiti.

The final round of the qualifiers will also be played in a group format consisting of three groups of four and will take place between March 31 and April 6 in Toluca, Mexico.

The three group winners and the best second-place finisher will then advance to the Fifa Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco from October 17 to November 8.

SCORERS

Bermuda: Outerbridge 43, 53

TEAMS

Bermuda (4-4-2): T Rodrigues — J Peets-Butterfield, A Simons, Z Showers, A Barry (sub: S Trott, 46min) — J Sealey (sub: N Samuels, 75), K Lightbourne, A Patton, E Welch (J Trott, 75) — M Gibbons-Thomas (sub: C Dowling, 65), D Outerbridge (sub: P Denbrook, 84). Substitutes not used: S Baisden-Scott, A Burrows, K Curling, T Glasgow, N Minors. Booked: S Trott.

Cayman Islands (4-3-3): Wilson — Coles, Powell, Hydes, Ridley — O Ridley (sub: Windsor, 68), Kelly (sub: Rando, 13), Nelson — Bateson, Dixon (sub: Price, 46), Quintal. Substitutes not used: Clark, C Coles, Smith, Parchmont, Smailes, Wambugu. Booked: Hydes.

Referee: S Stockman (Costa Rica).