CONCACAF U20 Championships…:Junior Lady Jags suffer 2nd drubbing
Guyana’s chances of advancing to the 2026 FIFA Women’s U20 World Cup were shot down on Sunday, when their nightmare in the CONCACAF Women’s U20 Championships continued; this time inflicted by Costa Rica.
Guyana’s starting XI, comprising Captain Heike Clarke, goal keeper Kymora Chung, Naomi Benjamin, Alexis Bayley, Jaida Tucker, Anaya Joseph, Sydney Glean, Liyah Menilek, Myanne Fernandes, Jayda Schoburgh and Se- Hanna Mars, could not contain the hosts on their home turf at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Sotos; especially Captain Sheika Scott.
A look at Guyana’s starting XI for the Costa Rica contest
Scott kicked off her team’s onslaught in just the 5th minute of the game by connecting a penalty opportunity and pushed the scores to 2-0 by the 22nd in similar fashion.
Three minutes later, Scott found space in a set piece opportunity to head the ball into the back of the goal for her team’s third.
Not too long after, Guyana’s nightmare continued when Emma Azofeifa Luzuriaga’s shot from just outside the 18- yard box found its way into the nets in the 29th. Just as the first half was coming to a close, a captain on captain race to the nets, featuring Costa Rica’s Scott and Guyana’s Heike Clarke ended with Scott brining up her fourth strike and a 5-0 score at the half for her team.
Guyana’s defenses tightened at the beginning of the second segment, but once Lucia Paniagua Cordero’s strike from just inside the box got past the grasp of Guyana’s keeper Kymora Chung in the 63rd; the floodgates reopened.
What could be considered the shot of the game, came off the boots of Daniela Ocampo Fernandez in the 84ths, shooting from 15 approximately yards outside of the box, slotting it into the top corner for Costa Rica’s 7th strike.
Azofeifa Luzuriaga returned to complete her brace in the 90th+3, capitalising off of a set piece and two minutes later, Captain Scott added the cherry on top of her glut with a second header for the final goal in the 90th+5.
With two losses and their goal- difference in a sad state of affairs, Guyana is now out of contention for a spot in next year’s U20 World Cup. However, the junior Lady Jags still have the opportunity to save face when they take on Puerto Rico today in their final group game of the championships.
