– nine locals make the cut
The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has finalised its 18-member roster for their campaign in League C of the CONCACAF Girl’s U-15 Championship, with nine locally based players making the squad.
This was disclosed by an official release from the federation. According to the correspondence, Guyana’s team comprises: goalkeepers: Jasmine Solomon-Ross and Sara Ernest; defenders: Ayah Stewart, Kuleni Springer-Williams, and Lily Biffin; midfielders: Aliya John, Jada La Cruz, Ellie Biffin, Sydney Glean, Kemora Edwards, Ella Yhip, and Arianna Chin; and forwards: Tanya Devair, Erin Peneux, Mariah Woolford, Allia Henry, Sabana Simon, and Veronica Chatta.
The release further disclosed that the duo of Sonia Simon and Lehiana Benjamin will travel with the team as developmental players. The release did not state whether the abovementioned duo are locally based players.
Guyana, which is slated to depart local shores for Aruba on August 2nd, will open their League C campaign against Anguilla three days later before opposing St. Vincent and the Grenadines on the sixth. They will end the group stage against the British Virgin Islands two days later. Leagues A and B will be staged in Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago, respectively.
Meanwhile, Women’s Football Association (WFA) President Andrea Johnson said, “Due to the girls’ performances, selecting the final squad was a challenging task for the coaching staff. Our encampment focused on delivering high-quality training, team-building activities, and fostering camaraderie among players from across Guyana.”
“We have selected a well-rounded team, and I am confident that Guyana will perform admirably,” Johnson shared.
Similarly, GFF President Wayne Forde added, “This is the core purpose behind the launch of the GFF-Blue Water Shipping Girls’ Under-15 Championship. We have successfully established a registry of the top youth girls from across Guyana to represent the country on the international stage.”
He further said, “They are the future of football, and based on their performance in the tournament, I have absolute confidence in the squad and wish them all the best,” he shared.
According to a CONCACAF release, “All three leagues will include a group stage and a direct elimination knockout stage, and each will crown its champion. The number of teams per league will be determined based on the Concacaf Women’s U-17 Rankings of March 2024 and the final number of participants.”
Guyana competed in League B of the 2022 edition, which was staged in Tampa Bay, Florida, USA. The Guyanese, who competed in the event with only 14 players due to travel issues, ended with a record of two losses [1-3 Cayman Islands, Nicaragua] and a draw [2-2 Turks and Caicos].
