Guyana’s girls U17s wrap up Friendly Football Series with favourable results
Guyana’s girls U17 national football team picked up two commanding wins over the weekend, while their male counterparts in the national programme have secured a win and a draw; turning the tables on Suriname in the return leg of the bilateral Friendly Series between these two continental neighbours.
The Friendly Series, agreed upon by the respective National Federations to prepare the teams for the FIFA U17 Women’s and Men’s World Cup qualifiers in January and February, have seen Suriname’s boys prevailing 2-0 and 1-0 in their home leg back in November, while the Suriname girls pulled off a 2-0 win but were held to a 2-2 draw by Guyana in the second game.
This time around, Guyana utilized their home court advantage to have the girls pull off 3-1 and 3-0 wins on Saturday and Sunday. While Guyana Times Sport had previously reported on Saturday’s game, on Sunday, after a deadlocked first half, Veronica Chatta stepped up and gave Guyana the lead in the 47th, while Erin Peneux found the back of the net in the 81st minute. Allia Henry tripled the lead in the 90th minute to seal Guyana’s 3-0 win.
For the boys team, Guyana’s U17s followed up Saturday’s win with a nil-all draw to wrap up the Friendly Series for 2024.
Guyana’s U17 girls (green) in action against Suriname
According to a missive from the GFF, reflecting on the importance of the matches, GFF President Wayne Forde stated, “I am extremely proud of our U-17 girls. Congratulations to the coaching staff and our behind-the-scenes support staff. These games are an essential benchmark of the progress we are making as we build towards the 2025 FIFA World Cup qualifier campaign, but more importantly, a litmus test of the growth of female football domestically.
“I would like to express a special heartfelt thank you to the parents, partners, and stakeholders who are investing in the growth of the women’s game. We have some distance to go, but these encouraging results are a fitting indicator that we are on the right track.”
He was also keen to note, “While the boys’ match ended in a draw, their improvement and progress were evident. It was a hard-fought match that showed their determination, and their performance is an encouraging sign as we head into the 2025 qualifiers.”
In 2025, the girls will be up first, with their U17 Qualifiers beginning on January 27th against Cuba. Guyana’s girls are in Group C of the Qualifiers alongside Panama, Cuba and Turks and Caicos Islands. The boys have been drawn in Group B alongside Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, British Virgin Islands and St. Maarten, and will begin their Qualifier campaign on February 7 against Trinidad.
