The overseas-based Lady Jaguars football team last evening played entertaining football to defeat Suriname 2-0 in their final game of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) International Goodwill tournament last evening at the Enmore Community Center ground.
Women’s Football Programme Technical Director Mark Rodrigues predicted that Suriname should be a more worthy opponent for his team after they whipped the local side on the opening day of the tournament.
But yesterday the Dutch Ladies proved to be no match with only three attempts at goal in the entire game.
Led by co-captain and ace striker Ashley Rodrigues, Guyana got the go-ahead goal just 10 minutes into the game when the player made her way around the weak Suriname defence and found the back of the net with comfort.
With Guyana leading 1-0 at half time the Suriname coach made several substitutions all to no avail.
The Lady Jaguars continued to press forward and were rewarded by a Brittany Persaud goal in the 82nd minute.
With the win, the overseas Lady Jaguars will lift the first place trophy since they finish with a clean slate.
Coach Rodrigues told Stabroek Sport after the game that the win against Suriname was important for the Guyana Women’s National team.
“I think this win is very significant for the Women’s Football Programme because we can send a message out that we mean business. From now on there is no overseas and local teams, we are one unit,” he noted.
“We begin our journey on January 22 next year but we don’t know our opponents as yet. But what we want to do is get the girls together like a week before in whichever country we are playing in.
“The visit here did a lot for us since we now have the people we want to work with and that’s our next objective, to have these ladies ready in the next three weeks,” Rodrigues said.
Meanwhile, Suriname will seek to exact revenge when they clash with the local Lady Jaguars today at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground in Linden.
