Wheeling, W. Va. – During the 2025 season, graduate goalkeeper Akyla Walcott came in and served as one of the leaders of the Cardinal's strong defensive effort. As the off-season hit its early stages, Walcott will be taking her talents to the National Level. She has qualified as one of 23 players to play on the Trinidad and Tobago Women's National team, as they get set to kick-off their Concafa Women's Qualifier schedule against Barbados on Monday at 3 PM.

The Concafa W Cup Qualifiers is an international women's soccer tournament that brings 16 of the best teams from across the nation together to compete for a spot in the Concafa W Cup Championships. The group stage consists of the top ranked women's soccer teams from across the nation, with the exception of the two top ranked teams, the United States and Canada, who each receive a bye to the Championship tournament. The other 27 teams are separated into six different groups, each consisting of five teams, with the exception of Group F that has four teams. The group stage will see each team play four games, two on the road and two at home, to determine the final group standings. Each of the six standing winners will advance to the Concafa W Championship Tournament, joining the US and Canada. These eight teams will compete in November 2026, and will serve as the Confederation 's qualifier for the FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027 and the 2028 LA Summer Olympics.

Walcott, who transferred into the Wheeling Women's Soccer program in 2025, served as a key part to the Cardinal's defensive success. She appeared in 11 games for the Cardinals, making seven starts and finishing with a 2.25 Goals Against Average. She would make 43 saves on 61 shots faced, finishing with a .705 save percentage. After serving as the back-up goalie early in the season, she jumped into the starting role due to injury and ran with the opportunity. She allowed one goal or fewer in two of her seven starts, and only allowed more than two goals twice all season. Her top performance came against Fairmont State, where she made her second start of the season. She would make nine saves on 10 shots faced, finishing work a .900 save percentage and not conceding the game winning goal until the final 10 seconds of the game.

Trinidad and Tobago opens their group play schedule on Monday against Barbados, and will play each of their final three games during the 2026 portion of the schedule. After facing Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago will not take the field again until March 3^rd, when they take on Honduras. They will then conclude their group play scheduled agains Salvador on April 16^th, playing just three games because their group consists of just four teams as compared to five in the other groups. Walcott will serve as one of three goalkeepers for Trinidad and Tobago, joining an experienced group that includes Tenesha Palmer, who plays on the country's beach women's soccer team and Simone Eligan. The 23 players consist of a range of talent levels, from experienceed professional players playing in top leagues to emerging young tournament players.

Walcott and the Trinidad and Tobago National team begin their run in group play on Monday, December 1^st, when they take on Barbados at 3 PM.