T&T Women fall to El Salvador
Women Warriors Fall to El Salvador, Miss Out on Concacaf Women’s Championship Qualification
Trinidad and Tobago’s Womenwere defeated 2-0 by El Salvador on Friday night at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, ending their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 Concacaf Women’s Championship.
A double from forward Brenda Cerén secured victory for the visitors, who topped Group F with a perfect record to advance, while Trinidad and Tobago finished second on four points.
T&T made a bright start to the contest and came close to opening the scoring inside the first minute when Elise Franco’s header, from a Liana Hinds delivery, struck the crossbar.
However, that early moment proved one of the few clear chances for the home side in a match where El Salvador gradually took control.
The visitors opened the scoring in the 30th minute through Cerén, who found space at the edge of the penalty area before driving a low effort past goalkeeper Simone Eligon.
El Salvador continued to press and dictate the tempo, particularly in wide areas, creating several opportunities before doubling their advantage early in the second half. Cerén added her second in the 51st minute, cutting inside and finishing clinically into the far corner.
Despite efforts to respond, Trinidad and Tobago struggled to find rhythm in attack, with captain Kennya Cordner often isolated as the team searched for a breakthrough.
Goalkeeper Simone Eligon produced a number of important saves to keep the scoreline respectable, as El Salvador threatened to extend their lead in the latter stages.
Speaking after the match at the Post Match press conference, Head Coach Damian Briggs first thanked the supporters who came out to back the team.
“First of all, I just want to thank the public, the general public, that came up and gave support to us. We really appreciate it,” Briggs said.
Briggs felt the match could have taken a different direction had Trinidad and Tobago made the most of the chances created in the opening stages.
“If we took the first two or three chances that were afforded to us early in the game, it may have been a different game,” he said.
“Then they came into it a little bit, and we knew there were going to be periods when we had to suffer without the ball. I thought we tried really hard to keep them at bay.”
The Women Warriors conceded once in each half, with Briggs admitting that from his angle the second goal appeared close, although he stopped short of making a firm claim.
“From where I was standing, the second one looked a touch offside, but until I go back and look at it properly, it’s difficult for me to say exactly,” he noted.
The head coach also explained that the team’s tactical approach was built around managing El Salvador’s shape and limiting the threat of balls played in behind.
“We spoke about the distances, about getting early pressure in, and if we couldn’t affect the ball itself, we wanted to affect the space,” Briggs said. “We wanted to be able to drop and deal with the balls over the top, and I thought we dealt with that fairly well for periods.”
He added that the team had discussed different defensive approaches depending on how El Salvador built out from the back.
“We discussed going into a mid-block at times, especially when they were building with three centre halves and wing backs. We wanted to allow certain passes and then engage when it came into midfield, rather than going full press and leaving ourselves more open.”
Briggs said the changes made during the match were driven by belief that the team could find a way back.
“We’ve got 23 players for a reason. We believe in all of them, and we thought we could make a change and get more frontline players on to try to get back into the match.”
Despite the disappointment, Briggs spoke positively about the commitment shown by the group during the campaign.
“I can’t thank the players and staff enough for everything they gave over the last five and a half months that I’ve been here,” he said. “It’s been a joy working with the players.”
He also stressed that continuity will be key if the programme is to make real long-term progress.
“I just spoke to the El Salvador coach and he said he’s been working with these players for six or seven years. I’ve only been here five and a half months. Any programme that is going to have long-term success has to have some sort of continuity,” Briggs said. “I think you just saw a snippet of what we could potentially do.”
Briggs pointed to the realities of international windows, where preparation time is often limited once the full squad assembles, and also highlighted the need for more football for female players at home.
“When you only have four or five days with all your players in, it’s always difficult. If you look across the league as well, a lot of their players play more local football than what we have here for the female game,” he said.
“More support around the women’s league, girls’ football, schools’ football, more coaching clinics, and just as much football as they can play—the more football they can play, the better they will get.”
Team captain Victoria Swift echoed the coach’s sentiments, praising the fight shown by the players throughout the match and campaign.
“The challenge was there, yes, but it was also an opportunity for us to rise to that challenge,” Swift said. “I’m really proud of all the players because we fought today to the very last.”
While disappointed with the result, Swift said the squad showed resilience despite the obstacles they faced.
“Of course, the result didn’t go the way we wanted it to go, but I believe that each one of us rose to the challenge, and I’m proud of the entire team and the effort,” she said.
She also thanked the supporters, saying their presence made a difference on the night.
“We appreciate it a lot. It did help during the game. In moments when we were tired and they were cheering us on, it gave us that extra effort,” Swift said.
“I was pleased to see so many supporters come out, and I do believe going forward it’s going to keep growing.”
Briggs also spoke about the contribution of some of the players introduced during the game, noting that they brought fresh energy and directness.
“I thought Nia Hislop was quite direct. She got down the sides like we wanted to do and got a couple crosses in. Sonia did the same,” he said. “They pushed El Salvador back a bit and we were still able to try and build and get that possession-based football that we wanted to play.”
He also highlighted the work ethic of the squad, including returning players.
“Asha James worked really hard, her energy levels were good and the attitude was fantastic,” Briggs said. “I cannot fault any of the players. Every player gave their all.”
For Briggs, the next step is reflection.
“We have to sit and reflect on the progress that was made, what we need to improve, how we’re going to improve it, how long it will take, and then the most important thing—how affordable are the resources to help improve what needs to be improved,” he said.
Match Summary
Trinidad and Tobago 0 – 2 El Salvador
Scorers: Brenda Cerén (38’, 51’)
Trinidad and Tobago : 1.Simone Eligon (GK); 4.Emma Schneider, 12.Myla Schneider, 6.Victoria Swift, 22.Kaitlyn Darwent; 7.Liana Hinds (13.Gabrielle Williams 85), 8.Elise Franco (14.Summer Arjoon 61); 11.Aaliyah Prince (20.Sonia Lamarre 46), 23.Asha James (10.Alexcia Ali 74), 9.Nikita Gosine; 19.Kennya Cordner (captain) (16.Nia Hislop 61).
Unused substitutes: 18.Malaika Dedier (GK), 21.Akyla Walcott (GK), 2.Sakiah Williams, 3.Javanah Moreno, 5.Cicely Spencer Wickham, 15.Christa Waterman, 17.Ariana Borneo.
Head Coach: Damian Briggs.
El Salvador : 18.Riley Melendez (GK); 5.Andrea Amaya, 3.Vasthy Delgado, 4.Elaily Hernandez, 8.Victoria Sanchez; 15.Danya Gutierrez (16.Makenna Dominguez 78), 6.Alejandra Morales (12.Maggie Segovia 87), 19.Laila Saravia, 7.Danielle Fuentes (17.Samaria Gomez 87); 9.Yoselyn Lopez (11.Elizabeth Johannes 78), 10.Brenda Cerén (captain).
Unused substitutes: 1.Idalia Serrano (GK), 21.Samantha Valadez (GK), 13.Ashlin Fuentes, 14.Andrea Alvarenga, 20.Jackeline Velasquez, 22.Elyssa Hernandez, 23.Jasmine Dybala.
Head Coach: Eric Acuña.
