Fatima Romero (left) and Elexa Bahr (right) were standouts for host Honduras at the 2015 CONCACAF Under-20 Women's Championship in San Pedro Sula. (Photo: Mexsport)
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras -- Though coming up just short in a bid to earn a first FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup berth, Honduras was in no way disappointed by its overall performance as host of the 2015 CONCACAF Under-20 Women’s Championship.
A 2-0 setback against Mexico in the tournament’s match for third place on Sunday may have ended those World Cup dreams, but the acquired experience promises to create a solid foundation for the future of women’s football in the Central American nation.
“Today, Honduras is the fourth top team of CONCACAF, which means we have progressed, and we competed without any experience,” Honduras head coach Miguel Escalante said afterwards. “We still have work to do. We competed with three teams that always qualify for World Cups.”
For the Catrachas, the loss to Mexico completed a string of three straight games against each of the teams that qualified for Papua New Guinea 2016. A 2-0 loss to Canada to conclude the group stage was followed by a 7-0 defeat in the semifinals at the hands of the eventual-champion United States.
To start its second-ever appearance in the competition, Honduras drew with Jamaica (2-2) and beat Trinidad & Tobago (2-0).
Along the way, the home fans had plenty for which to cheer.
Elexa Bahr, an excellent 18-year-old forward, struck for three of the four goals, while supremely skilled 16-year-old midfielder Fatima Romero added the other.
Escalante believes the women’s program can move forward with its collective head held high.
“I have to say that the three teams that qualified to the World Cup were the teams that deserved it, but not without giving credit to Honduras, which gave its best and still had a good result in this tournament,” he finished.
