Guyana’s national female football team known as the Lady Jaguars will commence their CONCACAF Women’s U20 competition today against Nicaragua in the Dominican Republic.
The clash will be the first of three matches for the Guyanese in group D. The squad, which is headed by Dr. Ivan Joseph and contains three local players, reads Goalkeepers Raven Edwards-Dowdall, Aneesa O’Brien, Defenders Brianne Desa, Jade Vyfhuis, Jessica Myers, Sydney Puddiecombe, Hailey David, Anaya Johnson, Midfielders Kiana Khedoo, Serena Mc Donald, Shamya Daniels, Jenea Knight, Siacy Adams, Audrey Narine, Tori DeNobrega, Samantha Banfield and Forwards Nailah Rowe, Tiandi Smith, Shanice Alfred and Makayla Rudder.
“The coaching staff and players have been hard at work preparing for the upcoming CONCACAF Women’s Under 20 championships,” said Coach Ivan Joseph when asked to comment on the team’s preparation so far. “It is our hope that we will make our country and all our fans proud of our effort and commitment on the field.
Mexico, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico are all formidable opponents in our opening Group D round-robin pool. All three teams are ranked ahead of us in our pool with Mexico leading the way as the number two-ranked team in the tournament. We will need to play at our very best and hope to get a bounce or two in our direction to advance to the next round,”
The Lady Jaguars will battle Puerto Rico in their clash on the 25th. In their final group match, Guyana will oppose Mexico on the 27th. According to CONCACAF, the top three teams from each of the four groups will progress to the knockout round alongside the four qualifiers from previous section. The eventual finalists will qualify for the 2020 FIFA World Cup.
