Much will be expected of the senior national female football team, the Lady Jags, and according to mid-fielder Lakeisha Pearson, the squad is confident of meeting all expectations as they aspire to top their group and progress in the Women’s World Cup CONCACAF Caribbean Qualifying tournament.
Placed in group E, Lady Jags will play Bermuda in their first match on Wednesday at Leonora Stadium from 19:30h, then Suriname on Friday and Barbados on Sunday in the four-team group, from which the winners will advance to the round-robin stage.
“The biggest game for us will be the first game, but I don’t think we are under much pressure. We got this; we will win this,” the 23-year-old, who is on her second tournament with the team, confidently related to <<Guyana Times Sport>> on Saturday.
Head Coach Dr Ivan Joseph keeps an eye on the players during a recent training session at the Leonora Stadium
The ladies enter this tournament on the back of mixed fortunes at the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Challenge Series where their only defeat came against hosts Trinidad and Tobago and then stalemates against Suriname and Grenada. But they were not at full strength; now, many of the senior and skilled players have returned.
“There is a need for improvement; in that [CFU] tournament, we didn’t have much cohesiveness and training time, but we did well as team. So, I think we are better for this, since seasoned players will add to tour impact and we have a strong team and a better chance of winning,” the Fruta Conquerors player noted.
It is not unusual for high expectations to be had, since this team have qualified for two major CONCACAF events while the men’s team are yet to achieve even a Gold Cup berth.
The final round of the Caribbean qualifiers will be disputed from August 25 to September 2, among the five first-round group winners. The top three finishers of the final round will qualify for the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship. The United States will welcome the region’s top women’s national teams for the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship, which will crown a regional champion and qualify three teams directly for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019, plus the fourth-place finisher to an intercontinental play-off. The women’s championship is scheduled to be played October 4-17. The Guyana squad consists of: Taylor White (G); Natalie Nedd (G); Aneesa O’Brien (G); Sasha James; Odessa Romeo; Nikita Persaud; Sydney Cummings; Brianne DeSouza; Alicia Zaban; Allison Heydron; Collette Hope; Brittany Persaud; Miriam El-Masri; Tiandi Smith; Jade Vyphuis; Ghilene Joseph; Lakeisha Pearson; Horicia Adams; Brianna Desa; Hannah Baptiste; Calaigh Copland; Ashlee Savona; Annalisa Vincent; Cameo Hazelwood; Jalade Trim; and Otesha Charles.
