T-burg’s Nalini Minors part of Bermuda soccer history

Of the billions of people across the globe, only a small percentage have the opportunity to be part of a national soccer team and represent their country on the big stage. Even fewer people can say they’ve helped make history with their team. In the case of one Trumansburg native, she did so 961 miles from home.

Nalini Minors is the backup goalkeeper on the Bermuda under-17 women’s national team. From January 27-31, the team took part in the qualifying round for the CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Championship (CONCACAF is the governing body of North American soccer). They were able to punch their ticket and become the first U-17 team (men’s or women’s) from the country to achieve this feat. Although Minors did not see any playing time, it was a truly special moment to be a part of.

“It’s thrilling,” Minors said. “It’s an honor to be able to do that, even if I didn’t get to play. It was just an honor to be on that roster, knowing that I was there helping to represent the girls on my old club team who might dream for that spot one day [and] that it’s possible even when I thought I couldn’t do it.”

When the final whistle blew for Bermuda’s final qualification game, the team didn’t actually know if they had made it through. After beating Cayman Islands 2-0 and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5-1, all they needed was to avoid defeat against Puerto Rico to top their group and qualify. It looked like they would do so with the game tied at 1-1 heading into stoppage time, as a tie would have been enough. But in the 95th minute, Puerto Rico scored a last-gasp goal to win the game and leave Bermuda shell-shocked.

But there was a saving grace: they could still go through as one of the two best second-place teams throughout qualifying because of their goal differential. Of the six runners-up in their respective groups, Bermuda had the second-best goal differential of plus-five, and that was enough to get them over the line. When Minors and the rest of her team found out they had qualified later that day, it was pure jubilation.

“[When] they announced who was going through, I jumped up and down,” Minors said. “It was like this huge weight was lifted off of me. It was like this amazing feeling. My teammates were in the shuttle, and they were all screaming and yelling. [They] kind of scared the shuttle driver, but it was definitely an amazing feeling. I grabbed my cat. I was dancing with my cat. It was just straight up joy. I wasn’t even worrying about what will come after we make it. I was just happy in that moment, just pure happiness.”

Minors is eligible to compete for Bermuda as a dual citizen because her father is from the island. She began her international career on the under-14 team, and she worked her way up to the under-15 team. She was originally supposed to be the backup goalkeeper during the CONCACAF Girls’ U-15 Championship in Trinidad and Tobago last year, but the starter dropped out after getting an offer from a professional team. Minors rose to the occasion and helped Bermuda to a second-place finish in their group, winning two of three games. That put her on the map to get the call up to the under-17 team at only 14 years old. While she went back to backup duties, she learned a lot from her experience at the next level.

“Even if I’m told I won’t play, I always have to be ready,” Minors said. “I still have to go for that mental preparation before the game. I wasn’t able to train as much as them because they weren’t aiming for me to play, so the warm-up time was mostly given to [the starter], but I could see her confidence and her mental game was on another level than me. It really showed me how I can aspire to try and get there, because I feel like it will be a lot of work, but her skills are in my grasp, and I can do it if I really put my mind to it.”

Minors won’t have to wait too long to suit back up for Bermuda. The Women’s U-17 CONCACAF Championship will take place from March 31 to April 6 in Mexico. The tournament also acts as a qualifier for the Women’s U-17 World Cup, with the four remaining teams taking part in Morocco later this year. While Bermuda will enter as significant underdogs, Minors is hoping the team can impress on the continental stage once again.

“I want us—as a team and me too as a player—to always be in the game,” Minors said. “Even if I’m not on the field, I still want to imagine I’m there on the field and cheering my team on. If we win one game in the championship, my life would be complete. Even if we don’t, I just hope that we fight our hardest to the last whistle.”