U-20 Girlz fine-tune for qualifiers
JAMAICA’S Under-20 female football team will finalise preparation for their CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers with a five-day camp at the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville this weekend.
It is the hope of coach Vin Blaine that the Young Reggae Girlz will emerge from this camp which ends on January 14 a more formidable force as they take on the United States, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago in one of two CONCACAF groups to begin battle on January 20. In the second group are Cuba, hosts Guatemala, Costa Rica and Canada.
At stake in the qualifiers are three places for the Under-20 Women’s World Cup. The group winners will qualify automatically, while the third team will be decided by a play-off between the second-placed teams from the two groups.
“We have been strengthened by the addition of a number of players who operate in the North American system. With their experience added to what we have we should be much more competitive,” Blaine said.
“Already we have seen the benefits of the inclusion of players such as Jamilla Campbell-Henny, Cathryn Rogers and Zovel Hyre and we are hoping that the likes of Lia Blake, Leigh Ann Jaggon and Nicole Campbell will have a similar impact,” Blaine added while pointing to improvements in the homegrown players who represent American universities.
The Girlz play their first game on January 21 against the defending Under-20 World Cup champions USA before taking on the Mexicans two days later. They close out group play on January 25 in the Caribbean derby against Trinidad and Tobago.
Squad — Shena Wint, Sashagay Spence, Leigh Ann Jaggon, Trudi Carter, Toni Cowan, Tasheka Gordon, Tasheka Small, Davia Smith, Lia Blake, Shanise Foster, Shereen Clarke, Monique Pryce, Nicole Campbell, Shushana Dobson, Sashana Campbell, Nugene Nugent, Cathryn Rogers, Jamila Campbell-Henny, Shereen Clarke, Zovel Hyre, Teashian Thomas, Nesa Ralph, Semone Honeghan, Shenika Williams.