CONCACAF U17 Boys’ Qualifiers: Junior Jags cruise past St. Maarten 3-0

…Will face hosts Costa Rica tonight

A team effort from Guyana’s national under-17 boys’ football team the Junior Jaguars has seen them defeating St. Maarten 3-0 and coming away with a win at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose, Costa Rica on Tuesday night.
Captain Kemron Pellew and goal-keeper Nyall Kendall, together with Joshua Morris, Michael Joseph, Tamer Unver, Mikkel Mills, Quancey Fraser, Shaquan David, Dakarai Drakes, Jaden Harris and Max Robinson, were in the preferred starting XI.

Max Robinson took a set piece opportunity to send a shot into the box, but a header deflected the ball back out of the danger zone. However, Shaquan David was ready and waiting, and he sent a lighting shot past the keeper for Guyana’s opening goal, in the 18th minute.
Although the Junior Jags did not find the back of the net again, they managed to keep St. Maarten at bay for the remainder of the half.
In the second segment, a brilliant piece of individual play from Quancey Fraser brought up Guyana’s second strike. When his first shot was saved by the keeper, Fraser outplayed 3 Sint Maarten defenders to find the back of the net at the near post in the 56th minute.
Jaden Harris made it a 3-0 affair in the 73rd with a strike of his own, capitalising off an assist from Fraser in a breakaway run.
In an invited comment, Head Coach Marco Bonofiglio expressed his pride at the team’s performance, stating
about Tuesday night’s victory, “Not only was it big for myself and my staff, the boys were truly happy, and they knew that coming into the match. They wanted to produce a piece of history, and they did it. They were so excited, so humble to know that they provided this historic event for their country. So, we’re all very proud of that.”
Admitting that the team could have scored more, Bonofiglio said he was nevertheless happy with the team’s visible progression in short time.
“When we look at the execution: obviously, could we have scored more goals? Sure! I think everybody is aware of that; but it’s more important about what we’re producing, and what we’re producing right now is everything that we’re doing on the training pitch. To me, that’s very important,” the coach divulged.
“When we look at areas again that we can improve, I need everybody to remember that we’re a team that has been working together for just under a month. But I know that the boys are growing every day: mentally, physically. The improvements would have to be on the consistency of being sharp. That’s what’s going to matter most, especially when you go into big game. How sharp can we be, and be consistent for 90 minutes,” he added.
“The level of confidence in the boys right now is very good. We’re happy with what we’ve achieved so far, and they’re growing day to day. It’s important to me that I see progression, and the progression shows on the field,” he explained.
As the national U17 team prepares to battle group leaders Costa Rica tomorrow, the Head Coach has expressed confidence in his team’s ability to compete, despite the quality of their opposition.
In responding to inquiries about today’s game, Bonofiglio said, “Tomorrow [today], we know that we’re playing a team – Costa Rica – that is accustomed to being in World Cup scenarios. So, we’re playing a team with high-level experience; a team that’s been together for many years, have great coaching staff. Have we got what it takes to compete? Yes.
“Because I want to say proudly that I’m very proud of the boys and of the staff and how much we’ve accomplished. We’ve not settled for anything, but we have the right mindset to go out and battle with Costa Rica in a good test for us to see what needs to be worked on still; and hopefully, the focus and concentration of these boys will lead us to be competitive in this match against Costa Rica.”
Guyana will take on Costa Rica at 21:00hrs tonight at the same venue. The hosts currently lead Group B with 6 points, while Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago are second and third with 4 points each, but are separated by goal difference. British Virgin Islands have 3 points for fourth place, while St. Maarten are at the bottom of the Group B points table, having yet to accumulate any points.
The Junior Jaguars are competing for a spot in the FIFA U17 World Cup, to be contested later this year. Each group winner in the CONCACAF Qualifier would punch their ticket to this tournament, which would be held in Qatar in November.