The Lady Jaguars U20 squad which is set to commence its Concacaf Qualifying Campaign on Saturday against Suriname comprises eight locally born or based players.
This was confirmed by an official release from the Guyana Football Federation (GFF). The 21-member roster which departed local shores on Sunday and Monday respectively features locally born and based talents Odelli Staughn, Ludesha Reynolds, Niomie Williams, Shamya Daniels, Akeelah Vancooten, Sandra Johnson, Jalade Trim, Shenessa Cornelius and Glendy Lewis.
The foreign-born contingent comprises Nya-Grace Young, Savannah Singh, Anika Sproxton, Maliya Gordon, Heike Clarke, Samantha Benfield, Jaida Brooke, Alexis Bayley, Jayda Schoburgh, Sidney Facey, Se-Hanna Mars, and Nydel Nelson. Guyana will open its Group C campaign against Suriname at the Felix Sanchez Stadium in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Group C also features hosts Dominican Republic and Dominica. The winner of the group will advance to the championship.
Head coach Paul DeAbreu said, “We are very thrilled to be competing in this tournament and to have the entire group together. The team had its first two training sessions yesterday, with the first session mainly focusing on skills through game scenarios practice and the second session focusing on game-specific drills with moderate intensity. These sessions have proven to get the best out of the girls and have helped them to mesh as a group. The coaching staff will continue to work with the group in preparation for our first match on Saturday.”
He added, “We have a very young and talented group and we believe a lot of good is to be expected. We encourage our fans to cheer us on wherever they may be.”
Meanwhile, Women’s Football Association (WFA) President Andrea Johnson is confident in the team’s ability to advance to the next round. She declared, “Congratulations to our players and staff on being selected to represent our beautiful country at the Concacaf U-20. I am confident that our team will perform exceedingly well as we have been drafted into a group that I’m certain we’ll advance out of. Over the past few years, our Lady Jags have been performing magnificently and this time will be no different. “As our team competes over the next few days. I want to encourage the entire Guyana and Guyanese in the diaspora to support them because Women’s Football is the Future,” she added.
