Guyana’s Under-20 Lady Jags got their CONCACAF Women’s Championship Qualifiers campaign off to a stellar start on Saturday afternoon with a 6-0 victory over continental neighbours Suriname in the Dominican Republic.
Playing at the Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez (Felix Sanchez Olympic Stadium), Guyana’s Head Coach Paul DeAbreu opted for a starting XI that read: Samantha Banfield (Captain), Nya-Grace Young (Goalkeeper), Se-Hanna Mars, Savannah Singh, Anika Sproxton, Shamya Daniels, Jalade Trim, Sandra Johnson, Glendy Lewis, Heike Clarke and Jayda Schoburgh.
After getting a feel of their Surinamese opponents’ tactics, Guyana first found the back of the net, in the 24th minute, by way of a Se- Hanna Mars goal. Fruta Conquerors’ Sandra Johnson was the next Guyanese to strike, in the 40th minute, bringing the score to 2-0 by the half.
The junior Lady Jags enjoyed a much better second half, adding 4 more goals to their tally to kick-start the Group C action on the right foot. The first goal of the second segment came compliments of Mars, who then completed her brace in the 47th. Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) Glendy Lewis made it a 4-0 game in the 55th, while captain Samantha Banfield converted a penalty in the 61st for Guyana’s fifth goal.
Fruta Conquerors staple Jalade Trim ensured she would not be left out of the excitement by beating the keeper for Guyana’s sixth goal, in the 90th minute.
Guyana is in Group C of the qualifying competition, along with Suriname, Dominican Republic, Grenada and Dominica. With six groups in the 8-team competition, the winner of each group would advance to the May 24-June 3 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championships, joining United States and Mexico.
The U20 Women’s Championships will act as a gateway to the 2024 FIFA Women’s U20 World Cup, for which the top three finishers in the CONCACAF Championships would qualify.
