“Gave it our all”: Losing start to CONCACAF W Qualifiers campaign for Lady Jags

Despite a valiant effort from the local team, several mistakes on the back line cost Guyana’s Senior Women’s National Football team, the Lady Jags, when they opened their CONCACAF W Qualifiers Campaign on Monday night at the National Track and Field Centre (NTFC), West Coast Demerara (WCD).

Head Coach Omar Khan opted for a starting XI that read Captain Brianne Desa, goalkeeper Raven Edwards-Dowdall, Serena McDonald, Hope Windebank, Kristen Bettencourt, Otesha Charles, Samantha Banfield, Rylee Traicoff, Anika Sproxton, Sandra Johnson and Annalisa Vincent.
Guyana found themselves at an early deficit after a back pass in the defence was intercepted by Nicaragua’s Sheyla Flores. Goalkeeper Edwards-Dowdall approached, but Flores escaped her advances to tap the ball into the unguarded nets in the third minute.

However, Guyana’s Annalisa Vincent pulled it back in the 18th with an excellent strike. Capitalising on a set piece from Rylee Traicoff, Vincent leapt above the defence, heading the ball into the nets for Guyana’s equaliser.
Unfortunately, the Guyanese side found themselves playing catch-up again in the 35th as Nuria Marquez dribbled around Guyana’s defence to send the ball into the nets from the right edge of the six-yard box.
Nicaragua sealed their third and final strike in the 49th when Sheyla Flores sent a shot across the goal that was punched out by Edwards-Dowdall. However, Doriana Aguilar was quick to tap the loose ball back into the nets.
Following the loss, Captain Brianne Desa noted that the Lady Jags “gave it their all”.
“Our performance… you know what, we gave it our all. I appreciate the girls; I love every single one of them. We fought to the very end, the last minute, and you know what? Hopefully, the next couple games are a little bit better for us. But huge congratulations to Nicaragua; they played an outstanding game. There’s nothing we can do,” Desa reflected.
“I will say, it is just having fun out there, staying positive. Not one of us got down on each other, and I think that’s what kept us pushing. Next round we’ve just got to go forward a little bit more; we gotta shoot,” the Lady Jags captain said about a positive takeaway from Monday’s clash.
Desa elaborated, “I think it’s just like I said before; it’s just wanting to attack more, wanting to shoot. We’re in front of the net, and we want to dribble. It’s myself included; we just got to take more shots going forward.”
President Dr Irfaan Ali was also present at the NTFC to take in the match and shared words of encouragement with the team following the result, giving the assurance of added support in the future.
President Ali told the women’s national team after the game, “We look forward for improvement, of course, but more importantly for you to believe in yourself and continue working. We believe that you can still pull off some upsets in this tournament; I’ve been following this tournament. I have tremendous belief in the girls. The women’s football team, you guys are ranked in a good position, and I believe you have the talent, you have the ability, and we’re going to back that talent and ability.”
“I spoke to the President of the Federation to tell him how we’re going to support you guys,” the Head of State assured.
The Lady Jags’ next fixture in the W Qualifiers will come against Dominica on Friday, February 27, at a to-be-confirmed venue.