By Jemima Holmes
The Under-20 Lady Jaguars team will face off with their most threatening opponents yet in the CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championships today, as they look to defy the odds and make it to the semi-final round of the hemispheric tournament.
Guyana’s Jade Vuyfhuis on the attack
Guyana will come up against their Caricom counterparts Haiti, who have been an absolute powerhouse in the tournament thus far with a goal aggregate of 34, in just four games played. In the face of adversity, however, Guyana are looking to continue rewriting the country’s football history by upsetting their opponents.
The Lady Jags are no strangers to difficult opponents, having taken on defending champions Mexico in their final group game, just a few days ago. In that encounter, Head Coach Ivan Joseph’s strategy was to have the Lady Jags play a completely defensive game, in the hopes of restricting Mexico. The plan was effective for much of the game until it all unravelled at the seams in the 78th minute. Mexico went on to capitalise on Guyana’s weak final minutes, winning the encounter 3-0.
Head Coach Joseph, in correspondence to the media prior to the game, was completely honest about the strength of Mexico’s team and the formidable opposition that Guyana would have to face.
Jenea Knight will be a crucial player for Guyana today
“They play a very direct and solid attack from the flanks; they like to go through the posting forward. We’ve watched the scouting tape and we’re now in the process of developing a game plan to get them in,” Joseph said.
Referencing their strategy for Mexico, Joseph hinted at devising a plan along similar lines for Haiti, but noted that this time around Guyana would be balancing their defensive and attacking lines.
“But again, do we have the athletes to really compete, that will be the tell of this game. You will look for us to have a low-pressure defence, clearly not the same as when we played Mexico, you have to be able to score. So, look for us to find wherever that balance is in the game,” the Head Coach stated.
Jade Vuyfhuis expressed similar sentiments as the Coach, recognising Haiti as a tough opponent. However, the defence player noted that the team would be using the game as a test of their endurance.
“Going forward for the Haiti game, I think we’re looking to defend really well, because they are a stronger team. I think having competition at their level is going to be good for us, because now we can see what we’re capable of doing and we’re going to push our boundaries a little bit,” Vuyfhuis explained.
“That being said, I think it’s going to be a little physical, so we’re going to have to try to match up to their physicality as well. But I think we can do it,” the player went on to positively affirm.
While the likes of Vuyfhuis and Brianne Desa have been excellent on Guyana’s backline, Jenea Knight will be a critical component in Guyana’s game. Much is expected from local girl Tiandi Smith, who is steadily adjusting in the tournament, after some lacklustre performances early on. Goalkeeper Anessa O’Brien exhibited the extent of her skill in Guyana’s encounter with Mexico, holding on to at least 10 saves. O’Brien will need a repeat of that performance or to better it, as Guyana come up against Haiti.
For the opposition, Haiti’s Melchie Durmonay currently leads the tournament’s goalscorers with 10 goals to her name. Her teammate Valentina Ornis has seven goals, while another, Florsie Joseph, has four – a testament to the high-energy, attacking game that Haiti are accustomed to playing.
Another player to watch on Haiti’s roster is Mirlene Dorce and their goalkeeper Madelina Fleuriot is yet to concede a goal. As such, the battle between Guyana and Haiti, scheduled for 16:00h local time today, will be an interesting one to watch.
In the other quarter-final games, Jamaica will take on the Dominican Republic, the USA will battle Canada, and Mexico will go head to head with Trinidad and Tobago.
