The Guyana team (Junior Jaguars) in the CONCACAF Under-15 Boys’ Championships on Monday suffered their first defeat: a 3-nil drubbing at the hands of Nicaragua.
The Guyana Under-15 Team
The Junior Jaguars’ starting XI — comprised of Dwayne Bess, Zakeel Flatts, Tyquan Brummel, Kevin Mullin, Brandon Solomon, Romel Medas, Rajan Ramdeholl (C), Samuel Garnette, Antwone Vasconcellos, Colin Henriques and Shoran James — were off to a rocky start, and couldn’t regain their footing after an early goal from their opponents.
A fumble by the Guyana goalkeeper in the fourth minute allowed José Corrales to tuck the ball into the net for Nicaragua’s lead; and although Guyana then mounted a stronger defense, it was not enough to restrain Roger Gómez from scoring in the 30th minute.
With a 2-0 lead by the half, the Nicaraguans became more relaxed in their approach, although still keen on scoring. Osmin Salinas later added another to the tally for Nicaragua’s 3-0 win.
Still in Group ‘E’ action, the Cayman Islands also collected three points in a 1-0 final over the Bahamas, thanks to a goal from Shameer Hendricks-Seymour in the 3rd minute (3’).
“I must say that we are disappointed in the performance today. We’re disappointed because we were let down by the players’ not believing in the process that we worked on throughout the preparation period,” Coach Brian Joseph said about the team’s performance on Monday.
In Division 1: Group A, Reigning CBU-15 Champion Mexico were held to a 1-1 draw against visiting team Israel, while Curacao and Panama shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw.
Over in Group B, the United States pocketed their second win of the tournament with a 3-0 result over Guatemala, thanks to scores from Víctor Valdez (10’), Osvaldo Cisneros (17’) and Rafael Ángel Jauregi (55’).
Haiti were also victorious, as a Wilgene Dambreville score in the 47’ was enough for a 1-0 win over Suriname.
In Group C, visiting Slovenia continued to impress with their second straight win, a 3-0 result against Canada; while Guadeloupe played to a thrilling 3-3 draw with El Salvador.
While Group D saw a pair of draws on the day — with Trinidad and Tobago playing to a 1-1 final with Barbados, and Costa Rica and visiting Portugal battling to a 2-2 draw — Group F saw Puerto Rico emerging a big winner, pocketing a 2-0 triumph over the Dominican Republic with goals from Jensen Liquet Cruz (10’) and Raysond Rosario Diaz (62’). Martinique also appeared in the winners’ row with a 4-2 triumph over Grenada.
A brace from Keegan Caull powered Saint Lucia past Saint Kitts and Nevis 3-1; while French Guiana rode a Nicolas Baybaud brace to a 3-0 win over Belize in Group G. In Group H, Bermuda enjoyed a strong start to the tournament in a 3-0 win against Antigua and Barbuda, while Brian Velox was the hero of the day for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with a hat trick in a 4-0 win versus Aruba.
In Group I, the U.S. Virgin Islands had the most prolific output of the day with a 5-1 victory over Anguilla, thanks in large part to Amir Ottey’s brace; while Sint Maarten and Bonaire played to a 0-0 draw.
Over in Group J, Turks and Caicos Islands were impressive in posting a 3-1 win against Saint Martin, with Dale Taylor (10’), Watson Jean-louis (19’) and Cory Williams (70+4’) all finding the back of the net. In the group’s other action, British Virgin Islands earned a 2-0 victory against Montserrat, with Luka Chalwell (17’) and Oliver Brown (33’) scoring.
The Junior Jaguars will be in action again today (August 6) at the IMG Academy in Florida, as they take on the Bahamas at 11am.
