TORTOLA — The British Virgin Islands’ 17-player under-14 girls national soccer team departs the territory today for three international friendly matches at the Raymond E. Guishard Technical Center in Anguilla this weekend. The friendlies are being played in preparation for the BVI’s debut in the Caribbean Football Union’s U-14 Challenge Series tournament, set for Aug. 15-22 in Trinidad and Tobago. Besides host team Anguilla, the BVI will face Dominica and St. Kitts and Nevis, with the team returning to Tortola on Monday. Fitzgerald Carter, the British Virgin Islands Football Association’s women’s development director, told The Daily News that while the team is comprised of under-14 players, they have requested for some age-15 players to be included. Several players under consideration for the U-14 squad are on vacation, and BVIFA officials wanted to ensure that they had enough players to field a squad. “We have applied to play in the Caribbean Football Union Challenge Series for Girls in Trinidad, and we want to go there and be competitive, so we’re preparing for that,” Carter said. “We just want to give the girls some international friendlies on an international stage so that they will get some experience and then we can actually transfer that experience into the actual competition in August.” Regarding the team’s progress, Carter — who was hired in February — said that the girls have been open to learning new things, and have also challenged themselves to grow. “It’s no pressure — they’re here to learn, they’re here to grow, they’re here to develop, but just a matter of a little more focusing and concentration,” Carter said. “But they’re doing well so far.” Carter said that they had a practice game on Sunday against some senior women and that went well, as it was also their first opportunity to actually play an 11-on-11 match, since the players had moved from playing 7-on-7 in their league. There also had some 9-on-9 tuneups before the practice game. “They’re getting the experience, they’re learning their roles and responsibilities,” Carter said. “They’re now on a normal size pitch with a normal size goal, just a reduced (playing) time frame. They’re actually getting adapted to the size of the pitch, knowing the distances, attacking and defending in transition. “There’s a long way to go, but the process has started.” During the practice game, Carter said that he saw a commitment from the players, they saw that they had an opportunity to learn and to get some experience. “I saw them being able to defend one vs. one, combine with each other, so they’re growing in relationship with each other, communication is improving and they’re starting to play, which is very good,” Carter said. “They’re starting to keep the ball and not losing it, they’re keeping shape, moving and sliding, so they are taking in some of the things they’re being taught.” In the area of growth, Carter said that the biggest issue was unlearning to relearn some things. The players had been doing things a particular way for a long while, but when Carter was hired, he asked the players to try certain things a different way. “At first, there was a little resistance to that, but I had to convince them that I’m on their team — Team BVI,” Carter said. “Once they recognized that we are working together as a unit, that helped the process a lot. “The players have grown. They’re working more on getting the ball under control. They’re coming together and taking on the new information, but at the end of the day, it’s an incremental stage. Progress for me is seeing the girls out there representing the BVI and to grow, learn and have a good showing of themselves, build confidence, and then take that into the actual competition in Trinidad and Tobago.” The weekend games, Carter said, are for the players to get playing time at their positions, learn the roles and responsibilities that have been discussed, and see how best they can improve. Carter said while he wants the team to compete, winning is not the No. 1 priority, but for the players to see what it will be like in the CFU Challenge Series. “This is a rehearsal,” Carter said. “It’s okay to make errors — this is where the actual hard work is going to be — and then transfer that into the actual competition in August.” The BVI will play in Group B along with Grenada, Barbados, French Guiana and Suriname in the CFU U-14 Challenge Series. The U.S. Virgin Islands is also fielding a team in the tournament, playing in Group A against St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Bonaire and Saint Lucia.