The Lady Jaguars and Bermuda battled to a 2-2 stalemate when group-E action of the CONCACAF Women’s Qualifiers commenced yesterday at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora.
It was a fair result for a clash which neither side dictated with the Lady Jaguars starting XI featuring Natalie Nedd, Nikita Persaud, Sydney Cummings, Jade Vyphius, Cameo Hazlewood, Alison Heydorn, Brittany Persaud, Mariam El-Masri, Calaigh Copeland, Brianne Desa and Collette Hope.
However, it was a poor showcase for goalkeeping on the night in front of a small crowd as three of the four goals were fashioned due to blunders from the custodians.
The first of the three mistakes led to Bermuda taking the lead when Tia Lindo scored in the fifth minute.
The burly Lindo uncorked a thunderous strike from 35 yards out in the center of the field, which sailed over the head of shot-stopper Nedd.
The reply was instant from the home side with Brianne Desa curling her effort down the center of the net past the advancing goalkeeper in the seventh minute, after latching onto a pass. However, another howler in the 16th minute handed Bermuda the lead once more as a curling shot from a left side free-kick, settled into the right corner following poor judgment and positioning by Nedd.
On the other side, Desa almost levelled proceedings in the 26th minute, flashing her effort over the crossbar from the right side, after racing onto a through pass inside the box.
Calaigh Copeland then spurned a golden opportunity in the 37th minute, as Guyana continued to impose their will in the final minutes of the period against the tiring Bermudians.
Racing into the right side of the box, Copeland missed a perfectly placed left side cross from Desa, who skipped past two markers. Guyana picked up from where they left off in the first period, and almost fashioned the equaliser in the 52nd minute.
Once again Desa was at the heart of the play, escaping her marker before a curling shot from the top of the box, which sailed wide of the right corner.
The Guyanese would not be denied as Cameo Hazlewood netted in the 58th minute, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
A goalkeeping error handed Guyana a share of the spoils, as a tame free-kick from 25 yards out slipped through the grasp of the goalkeeper and into the net.
The Lady Jaguars will now oppose Suriname tomorrow at the same venue from 19:00hrs. Similarly, Bermuda will battle Barbados in the earlier fixture at 17:00hrs.
Guyana concludes their group campaign on the 27th against Barbados. Meanwhile, Barbados downed Suriname 2-1 in the event’s opening clash.
Caitlyn Padmore and Felicia Jarvis scored in the second and 40th minute each. For the Dutch nation, Saffira Hoogdorp netted in the 20th minute.
Present at the opening of the tournament were Minister of Sport George Norton, Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous People Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe, GFF President Wayne Forde and other members of the executive committee.
