Guyana girls needle Anguilla in CONCACAF U17 Qualifiers opener
Sue Edwards starred for Guyana’s Under-17 Female Football Team as they cruised to a 1-0 victory over Anguilla during their opening match of the CONCACAF U17 Qualifiers.
The Guyana team dominated play at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, USA on Thursday morning, but lacked the wherewithal in the finishing department, otherwise there could have been victory by a much bigger margin.
Head Coach Akilah Castello fielded a starting XI consisting of Captain Sidney Facey, Ciara Sarius, Alyssa Blake, Nakasi St Jules, Akeelah Vancooten, Sara Matthies, Anaya Willabus, Sue Edwards, Karan Jupiter, Sandra Johnson and Jalade Trim.
Guyana’s U17 team celebrating their first win
The Guyanese girls had many opportunities to score in the 90 minutes of play, but the finishing proved sketchy for the team. With Anguillan goalkeeper Dainelle Proctor slipping outside the box, Guyana had their first chance at the goal in the 18th minute, but it was intercepted by an opposite defender. A freekick taken by Jalade Trim in the 24th minute sailed just outside the perimeters of the goal, and another chance similarly went abegging.
However, Sue Edwards finished off a perfectly placed ball coming from the corner to register Guyana’s and the game’s lone goal. Feeding off an assist from Trim, Edwards, poised directly in front of the goal, lofted the ball over the head of the keeper for the 44th minute goal.
Goal-scorer Sue Edwards
The second half saw both teams hunting another strike, but neither side was successful. Guyana had another notable opportunity to go 2-0 in the second half, when Naiomi Paul found herself in a one-on-one challenge with Anguillan goalie Proctor, but Proctor scooped up a soft shot from Paul on the edge of the goalpost to keep the score at 1-0.
The Under-17 girls will come up against Honduras on Saturday at the same venue. Honduras is coming off of a 6-0 win over Turks and Caicos Islands, which was also played on Thursday. their final Group game will come against Turks and Caicos on Monday, November 1.
Jalade Trim on the charge
At the end of the group stage, the top finishers in each group, inclusive of the best second place finisher, will book spots in the 2022 CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Championship. (Jemima Holmes)
