The Lady Jaguars, the Guyana Senior Women’s Programme, suffered a humiliating 6-1 loss to Puerto Rico last evening at the Juan Ramón Loubriel de Bayamon facility during the opening fixture of their two-match International Friendly series.
Guyana’s starting XI comprised Chante Sandiford [GK], Brianna Desa, Samantha Banfield, Serena Mc Donald, Makayla Rudder, Audrey Narine, Ghilene Joseph, Annalisa Vincent, Shamya Daniels, Lakeisha Pearson and Hasha Holder.
Although the quality of the surface was not ideal as it was littered with patches, it certainly did not impede the possession based offence of the hosts. To describe the match as lopsided would be an understatement, as Puerto Rico dominated every facet.
Guyana, who are ranked 88th internationally, ahead of the hosts on 107th, struggled throughout proceedings to string together three or more passes inside the midfield and final third respectively as the clash was effectively sealed in the first half with a 3-0 score.
Los Boricuas, who entered the match with a recent competitive record of one win [2-0 Dominican Republic], two losses [Uruguay 5-1, 3-0] and a draw [1-1 Dominican Republic] in 2021, took only 14 minutes to break the deadlock, as Josephine Cotto scored.
Receiving the ball 29 yards in the centre of the field, Cotto uncorked a powerful left footed strike which sailed into the top right hand corner. Karina Socarras should have doubled their lead two minutes later but she was denied by the advancing goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation, after racing onto a through pass.
The woodwork then came to Guyana’s rescue in the 20th minute after Madison Cox struck the right crossbar with a header, after racing onto a lobbed left sided pass. Guyana would eventually concede their second in the 28th minute when Karina Socarras netted.
Latching onto a loose ball inside the centre of the box following poor control by the central defender, Socarras slotted home unchallenged into the right corner.
Socarras then completed her double in the 35th minute, sliding to slot home a left sided pass from Mercedes Bauza from inside the right of the six yard area.
Guyana did not record an actual attempt on target in the first half, with their best chance of scoring occurring in the 45th minute, a Banfield effort from outside the centre of the field, which was deflected by an attempted headed clearance from the defender, forcing the goalkeeper to tip the misdirected shot onto the post.
Although Guyana marginally improved in the second half, the disparity in quality between the two teams was still evident. Madison Cox added to the hosts lead in the 48th minute, directing a header into the roof of the right corner, after latching onto a headed pass from the right of the box, following an initial left sided corner-kick.
Guyana eventually got onto the scorer’s sheet through Annalisa Vincent in the 59th minute, who dribbled past the onrushing goalkeeper and scored into the empty net, following a one-on-one situation.
The conversion only proved to be a brief moment of respite for the visitors, as Nikolette Driesse scored in the 77th minute. A horrendous goal-keeping error led to the conversion, as a simple right sided cross following a free-kick was dropped by Sandiford, which ignited a goalmouth scramble, only for the ball to fall into the path of Driesse, who lashed her effort into the net.
The score-line was then sealed in the 88th minute as Ariana Rivera etched her name on the scorer’s sheet, finishing through the legs of the advancing goalkeeper during a one-on-one situation, after racing onto a pass inside the centre of the box.
The two international friendlies are part of the team’s preparation for the upcoming 2023 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. The Lady Jaguars have been drawn in Group-F in the first round, following the official Concacaf draw in Miami, Florida.
Guyana, who was initially placed in Pot-1, will compete against Caribbean heavyweight Trinidad and Tobago, Nicaragua, Dominica and Turks and Caicos.
