CONCACAF Women’s qualifier matches: Guyana, Nicaragua play to exciting stalemate at Leonora
Guyana’s senior women’s football team the Lady Jags will now have to pull off a victory on Tuesday against their Trinidad and Tobago counterparts in order to advance to the CONCACAF Women’s Championships, after playing to a stalemate against Nicaragua on Friday night at the Leonora Track and Field facility on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD).
The starting XI in Friday night’s game between Guyana and Nicaragua
Goalkeeper Chante Sandiford, Rylee Traicoff, Captain Kayla DeSouza, Sidney Cummings, Ghilene Joseph, Justine Rodrigues, Shanice Alfred, Brianna DeSouza, Calaigh Copland, Stefani Kouzas and Brianne Desa comprised Guyana’s starting XI.
Both teams had their fair share of chances, but neither could finish well on any occasion, leading to the 0-0 result.
One of Guyana’s most notable chances came in the 20th, when Calaigh Copland set up a possible goal with a pristine assist, but Stefani Kouzas was late to the pass, allowing time for Nicaragua’s defense to ready themselves. The eventual shot at the goal was deflected.
The Lady Jags also had a number of opportunities coming from the corner, but it was Annalisa Vincent’s introduction to the game in the 46th, by way of substitution, that gave Guyana a spark. However, Vincent’s pursuits of a goal were often a one-woman show, as no assistance came quickly enough.
Nicaragua’s Yessenia Flores was the counterpart front-woman for her side, but she either could not finish well, or encountered the safe hands of Chante Sandiford.
Nicaraguan goalie Bethania Aburto is also deserving of recognition, as she kept the Lady Jags at bay.
With Guyana drawing the match against Nicaragua and Turks and Caicos succumbing to Trinidad and Tobago during their Saturday afternoon encounter, the Lady Jags will have all to play for when they meet Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday, April 12, in a match for the top position in Group F. This game is especially important since it would decide the top finisher in the group – the only team to move on to the CONCACAF Women’s Championships in July.
Scheduled for July 4 to 18 in Monterrey, Mexico, the CONCACAF Women’s Championships would feature eight teams. Canada and the United States have already automatically qualified, and await the Group winners from the ongoing Women’s Qualifiers.
