USVISF Women’s Premier League saw an action-packed weekend, Sept. 6-7, during their Big 4 Championship at Ivanna Eudora Kean High School on St. Thomas. St. Croix’s Lady Rovers took home their second consecutive Big 4 trophy after a 5-1 victory in the final against St. Croix Kestrels.
St. Croix Kestrels vs Lady Rovers (Final)
“This feels exactly how it’s supposed to feel,” Lady Rover Niaomi James-Brown said, “because we weren’t going home without that trophy!”
Terrence Jones, goalkeeper coach and husband of Lady Rovers captain Mackiesh Taylor-Jones, echoed Brown’s sentiment, “We came here with one mission — to become Big 4 Champions — and we did just that.”
Taylor-Jones opened the scoring with back-to-back goals in the 12th and 13th minutes. Olivia Crikelair answered for Kestrels in the 21st minute to end the first half 1-2. Lady Rovers redoubled their efforts in the second half with two more goals by Taylor-Jones (31’, 57’) and another by Chloe Phillips Hayden (48’). Kestrels fought hard but could not find the back of the net, ultimately suffering a 1-5 loss to now two-time champion Lady Rovers.
Rock City United SC vs St. Croix Kestrels
St. Thomas’s top team, Rock City United, opened the championship weekend against St. Croix Kestrels, who were ranked second in their division. This gritty showdown ultimately ended in heartbreak for newly formed RCU. After tying 3-3, RCU lost 0-3 in their first penalty shootout. RCU’s goals by Haley Bia (20’), Patrice Clarke (36’) and Lily McMenamin (39’) were answered by Kestrels’ Arielle Rames (13’, 55’) and Olivia Crikelair (34’). Crikelair, Kelsey Hill, and Amanda Neilson scored Kestrels’s three penalty kicks.
Castaways vs Lady Rovers
St. Thomas’s number two-ranked Castaways faced off with returning champion Lady Rovers in the second game of the weekend and suffered a 0-9 defeat. Lady Rovers captain Mackiesh Taylor-Jones scored a total of five goals: two in the first half and a second-half hat trick. Afiya Williams added another two goals, one in each half. Jaida Flemming and Alexandra Van Graafeiland each added a goal in the second half. Lady Rovers’s Morgan Lawrence went down with a dislocated shoulder, rendering her unable to compete in Sunday’s championship match.
Rock City United SC vs Castaways
The final battle of the St. Thomian women’s teams ended in a commanding 13-0 RCU victory and a third-place overall finish. A double hat trick by Kathryn Turner, two goals by Patrice Clarke, and additional goals by Magen Freeman, Lily McMenamin, Angela Barron, and Haley Bia kept the excitement high among RCU fans.
Goalkeeper Blakely Bell said she felt “amazing” after her team’s championship run. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity to play the game alongside some incredible women,” she added.
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