Guyana’s national female football team put on a spectacular performance last evening to beat the Turks and Caicos (T&C) select team by five goals to nil in their opening game of the 2009 Turks & Caicos Football Festival.
According to information coming out of the Island, the Guyanese girls started cautiously and were probably somewhat nervous within the first few minutes since for most of them it was the first time they were playing together.
However things changed in a hurry as just seven minutes into the game a shot from a Guyanese player rocked the cross bar of the T&C goal.
Immediately, the Guy-anese were on the attack again with Ashley Rodrigues finding the back of the net in the eighth minute to put Guyana up one nil.
This certainly lifted their confidence resulting in the Guyanese putting T&C under heavy pressure with constant attacks down the wings and through the centre with several shots being taken that went wide of the T&C goal or over the uprights.
At this time the T&C women were totally on the defensive and it was only a matter of time before Guyana went up two in the 15th minute, again from Ashley Rodrigues who converted a penalty after a T&C player handled the ball in the box.
By this time the pace of the game was already set with 90 percent of play being in the T&C half of the field. Guyana were awarded numerous corners and had many near misses as they kept the pressure up.
Guyana scored again in the 30th minute off a corner kick with a Justine Rodrigues header into the back of the net.
In the 34th minute the coaching staff decided to make their first substitutions with Odessa Romeo (Rupununi) and Kaitlyn Wong-You replacing Kayla DeSouza and Ashley Rodrigues.
The tournament is being played under FIFA rules except that a team can make unlimited substitutions.
Shortly after the substitution Guyana continued their dominance and were awarded another penalty which was saved by the T&C goalkeeper. The half ended on yet another headed corner by Justine Rodrigues who continued her stellar play in the penalty area on set plays, but it was brilliantly saved by the T&C goalkeeper.
The Guyanese girls left the field to thunderous applause from the numerous Guyanese supporters living and travelling to T&C who showed up to see the game.
The second half continued much the same as the first with the coaching staff using the opportunity to give playing time to all the substitutes as well as rotating the players in different positions still in search of the best possible formation for the later games.
Goals were scored in the second half by Justine Rodrigues in the 70th minute and Rehana Murani in the 78th minute. The game ended 5-0 for Guyana with Ashley Rodrigues being named game MVP by the technical staff.
It was indeed a very encouraging performance by the Lady Jaguars which gave the Guyanese supporters a lot to cheer about.
After the game the players were swamped by the supporters who wanted photographs with the team and individual players. Finally the team was allowed to leave for the hotel with loud chanting, music and flag waving from their excited, loyal supporters.
Guyana faced the T&C national under-20 team in their second game of the competition last evening, but up to press time the result was not known.
