GBTI GCC hockey girls win double gold in Trinidad

The GBTI GCC hockey players are back from a successful stint in Trinidad and Tobago over the weekend where they secured double gold in the Girls Under-16 and Under-21 divisions of the Paragon Indoor Hockey Championships.

The GCC girls took a bit of time in their first Under-16 match against the Magnolias to get accustomed to the fast surface at the Woodbrook Youth Facility, but they managed to emerge with a 5-1 victory.

That goal would be the only one conceded in the entire Under-16 competition by All-star goalkeeper, Jessica Mittelholzer, and her fellow Guyanese teammates. The GBTI GCC girls then followed that victory with a 5-0 win over Checkers, 6-0 over Sepos and 5-0 over Bishops.

The Under-16 final would see a repeat of the very first Under-16 match contested by the GCC girls as they took on Magnolias, who had finished second in the pool.

GCC managed to best their earlier effort by outclassing Magnolias 6-0 to lift the Under-16 trophy. Striker Abosaide Cadogan was on fire for GCC, scoring four of their goals, while Madison Fernandes added one field goal and Kirsten Gomes scored a penalty corner.

In the Under-21 competition, GCC once again topped the pool round and this time faced Paragon in the final.  This match was more challenging for the Guyanese girls as Paragon played a more physical game and were able to deny space to the GCC strikers.

After a 0-0 halftime score, striker Sarah Klautky raced up the right side of the court to unleash a shot which was blocked by the Paragon goalkeeper. Top goal scorer in the Under-21 competition, Abosaide Cadogan, however, was first onto the rebound and managed to slide her reverse shot into the net for the opener.

Cadogan would return six minutes later to score her second of the match and push the game beyond Paragon. This time Sarah Klautky received a pass from midfielder Madison Fernandes on the left, drew the last defender and goalkeeper before guiding a perfect pass across the scoring circle to the speedy Cadogan on the right who slammed her shot into the open net.

The 2-0 victory saw GBTI GCC walking away with both trophies in the Girls categories.  Cadogan received the leading goal scorer award for the Under-21 competition.

Meanwhile, the tournament organisers announced a six-player all-star team at the end of the competition, which comprised of four of the GBTI girls. Striker and GBTI Under-16 captain Sarah Klautky, striker Abosaide Cadogan, midfielder Madison Fernandes and goalkeeper Jessica Mittelholzer made the cut.

The full GBTI GCC team:  Abosaide Cadogan, Haley Carpenter, Sarah Klautky, Madison Fernandes, Makeda Harding, Kirsten Gomes, Madison Singh and Jessica Mittelholzer with Coach Philip Fernandes and Manager Dominique DeGroot.