The Guyana women’s hockey team have suffered two unfortunate setbacks ahead of their Indoor Pan Am Cup (IPAC) opener today in Pennsylvania against hosts USA, as they lost Captain Gabriella Xavier and Sonia Jardine to Covid-19 and injury respectively.
This was disclosed by an official correspondence from the Guyana Hockey Board. The release informed, “Before the team could take the court for its first game however, Guyana suffered two significant setbacks with the late ankle injury of prolific striker Sonia Jardine and the contraction of Covid-19 by Captain Gabriella Xavier. The loss of two of the team’s top players will leave a huge void on the forward line and midfield as their experience will be difficult to replace.”
Head-coach Philip Fernandes expressed disappointment at the unexpected development, stating, “These girls have put in so much time and effort that it is unfair for them to be left out at this late stage. As far as the team goes, we will have to now rely on our young inexperienced players. While they are skilful and energetic, you cannot rush experience and it will be a challenge for them to play with the discipline and consistency under pressure that is required for this level of competition.”
He went on to explain, “Not much can be changed tactically at this late stage. Tactical changes, especially among young players need time and repetitive practice to be successful. This means that we will make a few structural changes by moving players around the floor in different roles to what was originally intended.”
According to Fernandes, while the loss of the two experienced players is severe, team morale remains optimal, as his charges are elated to compete against quality opposition.
The available members of the squad are: Abosaide Cadogan, Alysa Xavier, Ashley DeGroot, Trisha Woodroffe, Sarah Klautky, Madison Fernandes, Aliyah Gordon, Clayza Bobb, Marzana Fiedtkou and Makeda Harding. Princessa Wilkie is the Team Manager.
Guyana, who conducted their only practice session yesterday, will open their campaign at 11:30am against defending champion and host nation USA, who are ranked 12th globally. They will then battle 16th ranked Argentina later that evening from 6:00pm.
“The global pandemic had prevented international hockey competition for over a year and this is a welcome return for the players. The competition is being held under strict Covid-19 protocols which include no spectators at the facility and the team being confined to a bubble with no outside contact for the duration of the competition,” the release added.
The Guyanese, who sit 31st in the ranking, will continue their campaign against 18th -positioned Canada on Saturday at 11:30am and 22nd ranked Uruguay at 6:00pm.
The winner of this year’s IPAC will secure the spot to represent the Americas in the next Indoor World Cup scheduled for Belgium in 2022.
The team has benefitted from the support of major sponsors such as GTT, the Ministry of Sport, Guyana Olympic Association, and Bounty Farm Ltd. They also received a donation of training vests from MVP Sports.
