The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

In a new venture for College of the Bahamas (COB) men's soccer team, they were able to split its series against the Turks & Caicos' under-23 side.

Thanks to goals from Audison Beaubrun and Perry Brooks in the opening game, the COB Caribs scored 2-1 over TCI. However, in game 2 of the series, they fell 1-2 at the Caribs' campus in Oakes Field.

Launched in 2006, the COB soccer programme has developed into a credible part of the college's athletic repertoire with its men's and women's varsity teams competing against overseas colleges and universities in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Sun Conference and in the Bahamas Football Association (BFA).

The last time the countries met at the national team level in FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualification in the CONCACAF region, the Bahamas won a two-game series over Turks and Caicos 4-0 and 6-0 in July, 2011.

COB athletic director Kim Rolle said the idea was taken from an idea to establish an intercollegiate tournament. She said a relationship has already been established with the Turks and Caicos programme.

"The original idea was to have a college classic, so to speak, with various schools we compete against in the NAIA on a consistent basis. The feedback we got from many of them was that it was too short notice so we decided to hold back on those plans and attempt to host it next year on a larger scale," she said.

"Our women's team had previously traveled to compete in a series against Turks and Caicos so we had already established a relationship with their federation. They were very receptive to the idea and our men's team was ready to compete. Having the games on the College of the Bahamas campus was an additional benefit not only to the team but to the campus as well to be able to foster a true collegiate sporting environment where the students, faculty and general public can participate."