The Under-20 Lady Jags will go on to play the next round of the CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championships after a nail-biting victory over Puerto Rico on Tuesday afternoon.
Teamwork between the goalkeeper and Guyana’s defence held off Puerto Rico as they looked to find the equaliser in the dying minutes of the gameGuyana-based player Shamaya Daniels in action
What began as a frustrating encounter to watch for the Lady Jags turned out to be another check in the book and three points added to their tally, as a late surge from the Guyanese ladies resulted in the win over Puerto Rico.
While Guyana were dominant in the first half of the game, their shot selection and finishing were off, as the Under-20 Ladies failed to find the back of the net. In seven clear chances at the goal for the first 45 minutes, Aubrey Narine found herself in one-on-one battles with the goal-keeper in the 18-yard box at least four times, but could not convert for Guyana’s first goal.
The ice was eventually broken by the most unlikely person in the second half, Puerto Rico’s goalkeeper Cristina Roque. Readying herself to scoop up a corner kick coming in from Jenea Knight, Roque made a grave mistake, allowing the ball to slip from her hands into the nets, for Guyana’s first goal in the 54th minute.
Guyana’s strong defence made sure that Puerto Rico could not even the score in the following minutes as they sought to hold out for the remainder of the game.
However, Anaya Johnson found herself in the 18-yard box, crossing the ball to Narine in the 81st minute. Narine finally got her redemption after a rocky first half, toeing the ball into the vacant goal for Guyana’s second.
Despite being two down, Puerto Rico refused to give up as Gabrielle Cimino had a one-woman campaign in pursuit of a goal. Initially battling with Johnson within range of the goal, Cimino got past the defence and Guyana’s custodian, Anessa O Brien in the 88th minute for Puerto Rico’s consolation goal.
The Lady Jags will come up against Mexico today, February 27 in their final group encounter. However, with the 2-1 victory over Puerto Rico and a 3-1 win over Nicaragua, Guyana have cemented their place in the next stage of the competition.
This stage will see the top three finishers in each group advancing to the knockout single-match elimination stage. Thereafter, the finalists and third-place winners will qualify to participate in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2020. (Jemima Holmes)
