The Guyana senior women’s hockey team will compete in the 2022 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games Qualifier which is slated to be staged in Hamilton, Bermuda.
This was disclosed by an official release from the Guyana Hockey Board yesterday. It was also stated that Guyana, who are seeded 66th, will open their campaign against 49th ranked Puerto Rico on Thursday April 14th, before battling 73rd ranked Bermuda on Saturday 16th.
Their final group fixture will occur against 63rd ranked Jamaica on Sunday 17th. The top two finishers will advance to the 2023 CAC Games in El Salvador.
Guyana, who previously featured in 2018 edition of the CAC Games, will be led by head-coach Philip Fernandes. The playing roster comprises Abosaide Cadogan, Aliyah Gordon, Alysa Xavier, Clayza Bobb, Gabriella Xavier, Kezia Chinian, Kirsten Gomes, Madison Fernandes, Makeda Harding, Marzana Fiedtkou, Mickelly Rahaman, Princessa Wilkie, Samantha Fernandes, Sarah Klautky, Trisha Woodroffe, and Ulrica Sutherland.
Coach Fernandes stated that he is excited about the new additions to the squad, adding, “Our defensive line, including goalkeeper Alysa Xavier is solid. We have a talented midfield and the greatest depth in our forward line that we ever had. So I expect that we can apply pressure to the opposition for longer spells and hopefully create more goal-scoring opportunities than we have in the past.” The team has been conducting training at the Georgetown Cricket Club venue, as well as the National Stadium in Providence, a playing area which is most similar to the artificial surface that the team is scheduled to compete on.
Coach Fernandes affirmed that the biggest hurdle for Guyana in their bid to prepare for international events, remains the lack of an artificial playing surface, adding that Guyana remains the only hockey nation in the region without such a facility.
“All internationally sanctioned matches take place on artificial pitches since the 1980s and Fernandes indicated that this not only robs Guyana the opportunity to host other countries and gain vital experience, but it also makes the task of competing internationally twice as difficult as the game is substantially different on grass fields compared to artificial pitches. Fernandes indicated however that he has had some encouraging conversations with the Minister of Sport about a solution to this problem and is hopeful that this challenge will soon be overcome,” the release stated.
