Reggae Girlz maul Cuba in Olympics qualifier
As expected, Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz made a convincing start to their Concacaf Women’s Olympic Caribbean Qualifying campaign, trouncing Cuba 12-1 in a lopsided affair inside the National Stadium yesterday.
Cheyna Matthews led the slaughter with a four-timer, scoring in the 20th, 31st, 62nd and 69th minutes.
Tiffany Cameron secured a brace with goals in the 38th and 53rd minutes, as Cuba offered no resistance to the vastly superior Jamaicans.
Deneisha Blackwood (4th), Trudi Carter (14th), substitutes Reilly Paterson (72nd) and Tarania Clarke (78th) and Dominique Bond-Flasza (88th) were also on the score sheet, while the other was a 80th-minute own goal conceded by Yarisleidy Mena Novo.
Yoana Calderon Gonzalez got Cuba’s consolation in the 55th minute.
The win pushed the Girlz to the summit of Group B on three points with a healthy goal difference ahead of Barbados, who came from behind to edge St Lucia 3-2 in the curtain-raiser at the venue. The United States Virgin Islands are the other team in the group.
Group A, the lone six-team group, comprises hosts Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, and Aruba, while Haiti, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Dominica, and Grenada will contest Group C.
Only the three group winners will advance to the final round, where they will meet the United States, Mexico, Canada and others, to vie for the top two spots to represent Concacaf at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Despite having players come in late Sunday night and early yesterday morning, the Jamaicans showed little signs of fatigue, as they started frantically. The floodgates were swung open inside five minutes when Blackwood fired past Katherine Hidalgo in goal.
It was virtually one-way traffic thereafter as the Girlz enjoyed a comfortable evening in front of a small gathering of supporters inside the National Stadium.
Teams: Jamaica– Chris-Ann Chambers, Konya Plummer, Sashana Campbell, Dominique Bond-Flasza, Deneisha Blackwood (Reilly Paterson 46th), Chantelle Swaby (Shantel Bailey 65th), Chinyelu Asher (Tarania Clark 60th), Trudi Carter, Cheyna Matthews, Tiffany Cameron, Tiernny Wiltshire
Subs not used: Ricquelle Farquharson, Rena Gordon, Khadija Shaw, Allyson Swaby
Booked: Plummer (89th)
Cuba: Katherine Hidalgo, Yarisleidy Mena Novo, Elaine Hernandez Perez (Yusnelvis Pervals 45+2), Zailin Rodriguez Perez(Braisy Goya 39th), Lizandra Gonzalez Moya, Analia Espinosa, Lilian Sandoval, Maristania Perez, Kathryn Valdez (Leida Calderin 75th), Maria Isabel Torres, Yoana Gonzalez
Sub not used: Alianne Reyes, Claudia Sanchez, Yelena Hernandez, Amanda Rodriguez, Yosmeli Perez
Booked: Torres (45+1)
Referees: Melissa Borjas (Honduras)
Assistant referees: Shirley Perello (Honduras), Brooke Mayo (United States)
Fourth official: Karen Abt (United States)
Match Commissary: Gwendolyn Salmon (Antigua and Barbuda)