Reggae Girlz defeat South Africa 3-2 to sweep two-game series
ST JAMES, Jamaica – Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz came from a goal down to beat South Africa 3-2 at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on Monday to sweep their two-game friendly international series.
While the South Africans were successful in keeping Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw off the score sheet after her brace in Friday’s first game that Jamaica won 3-0, the Girlz bounced back from a well below par first half with three well taken goals.
Linda Motlhalo gave the South Africans the lead when she fired past teenaged goalkeeper Liya Brooks in the 20th minute to take a deserved lead.
Jamaica made two changes at the start of the second half and Tottenham midfielder Drew Spence took over the game and willed her team to the win.
Spence recovered the ball deep inside the South Africa half and, after Shaw missed with a header, the ball fell to overlapping defender Vyan Sampson who got the ball through a crowd of players and into the net on her second attempt in the 59th minute, her first goal for Jamaica.
Spence put Jamaica in the lead five minutes later, heading the ball powerfully past goalkeeper Kaylin Swart.
Swart pulled off a stunner a minute later when she got a glove to a powerful left footer from Shaw who managed to free herself from two defenders and took aim at the goal.
Kayla McKenna, who replaced Shaw, got the third goal when she was sent through and, after beating the South African defense, gave Swart no chance from close range.
A mistake by Brooks in time added allowed South Africa to cut the deficit to one, as the ball fell from the custodian and Nicole Michael took full advantage by poking it across the goal line.
-Paul A Reid