The Tribune

THE Bahamas Football Association (BFA) has a lot to be proud of as both the under-13 girls’ and boys’ national soccer teams returned home from the 2024 Naples Elite Cup, hosted in Naples, Florida, with some hardware.

The U13 girls’ national team put on a stellar performance in the finals against the San Carlos Park U13 team, defeating them 2-0 to be crowned the champions of the division. 

The U13 boys’ team faced some adversity along the way but still managed to come out with a third-place finish after ending their match against the Naples Elite Soccer Club with a 2-2 draw at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex.

The Bahamas U13 girls’ squad started their tournament experience on a high note, securing an easy 6-1 victory against the San Carlos Park Scorpion U14 team. 

Ameerah Ann Knowles certainly had the golden boots for The Bahamas in this showdown. Knowles scored four goals and Aria Saunders pitched in the remaining two goals in the dominant win.

Next up on the schedule was the San Carlos Park Scorpion U13 girls’ club. It was a tightly-contested matchup that resulted in a 3-2 decision, favouring The Bahamas. 

Knowles and Paris Saunders contributed the goals for the U13 girls in the narrow win.

In the championship game, P Saunders was on target with two goals to power the team to a 2-0 win for the championship trophy.

The U13 boys’ national team capped off the Naples Elite Cup tournament with a 1-1-1 win/loss/draw and a total of four points in the standings. 

Competing in the U14 division, The Bahamas suffered an 0-4 loss in the tournament opener against the Cape Coral Cyclone Boys. 

The national soccer club regained their footing in the competition, prevailing 3-0 against the Florida West Football Club in the second game of group play. 

In their final match, the team drew even with Naples Elite Soccer Club with a 2-2 end result.