Guyana secured their first win the Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) Challenge, swamping Panama by a 14-0 score line in their second group fixture yesterday in Chicklayo, Peru.
After battling to a 2-2 draw with Puerto Rico in their earlier matchup, Aroydy Branford led the assault for the Guyanese with a helmet trick on either side of the half time interval netting in the fourth, 35th, 51st and 60th minutes.
Contributing two goals each were Robert France in the 32nd and 38th minutes, Mark Sergeant in the 13th and 43rd minutes, Orlando Semple in the 36th and 49th minutes and Jamarj Assanah in the 20th and 51st minutes respectively.
Sealing the lopsided encounter with solo efforts was Shane Samuels and Carl Xavier in the first and 40th minutes respectively. Due to the win, Guyana moved to four points and sits in second position.
Guyana will now oppose the group leader and the top seed Brazil today from 1:00pm (Guyana time), knowing that a draw can seal their berth in the semi-final round depending on the result of the other group matchup between Panama and Puerto Rico.
Brazil currently sits on six points from two matches. Puerto Rico meanwhile are third in the group with one point from two matches. Panama on the other hand, occupy the cellar position with zero points.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-final round on Friday with the grand finale set for Sunday.
This international outdoor event is the first for the Guyanese men in eight years, with their last competitive outdoor showing occurring in the 2007 Caribbean Cup and ALBA Games where they acquired a Bronze and Silver respectively.
Due to Guyana’s inactivity over the period, it no longer holds a world or Pan American ranking and will have to compete alongside the teams not ranked in the top six within the region in the Pan American Challenge to qualify for the 2017 Pan American Cup in the United States of America
Current Standings
Team GP W D L GF GA GD Pts
Brazil 2 2 0 0 23 1 +22 6
Guyana 2 1 1 0 16 2 +14 4
Puerto Rico 2 0 1 1 3 7 -4 1
Panama 2 0 0 2 0 32 -32 0
