CFU Women’s Challenge Series: vs Suriname “LADY JAGS” STARTING LINEUP DURING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM
“LADY JAGS” PLAY TO A 2 – 2 DRAW AGAINST SURINAME
– Head Coach Says Young Comers Showing Lots of Promise
28th April, 2018, Port-Of-Spain: Guyana’s “Lady Jags” – Guyana’s National Senior Women’s Team – held their own and had a 2 – 2 draw in their second match against Suriname as competition in Group E of the CFU Women’s Challenge Series heats up at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Trinidad and Tobago.
The spirited match, held at 16:00hrs on the 27th April, in front of a small but supportive crowd, and captained by Alison Heydorn, saw the Guyanese team creating multiple scoring opportunities even amidst injuries sustained by some players.
Lakeisha Pearson – No 13 – During The Match With Suriname
The “Lady Jags” had an early start in the match when one of the team’s debutantes, Midfielder Tiandi Smith, scored in the 21st minute. However, Suriname made a comeback on the brink of half time with a goal in the 45th minute. During the second held, Brittany Persaud gave Guyana the lead in the 56th minute but Suriname quickly capitalized on their chance to score and equalized with a goal in the 65th minute.
In an invited comment following the match, Head Coach of the “Lady Jags”, Dr. Ivan Joseph, said the team was able to experiment with some players to aid evaluation: “We started a couple of different players in a few positions and we were able to evaluate and assess and learn more about them. I thought Tiandi did a nice job, she was involved in the first goal and put up a couple of opportunities. Lakeshia Pearson continues to be a dangerous threat down the wing and Siacy (Horicia) Adams came in the last fifteen minutes of the game and really held her own and I thought she was a bright spot.”
Tiandi Smith – No 14 – On The Attack In The Guyana-Suriname Match
In summarizing the match, Dr. Joseph said focusing on the process not the outcome is important: “Several players have displayed their ability to play at this level. We’ve been able to blend and gel as a unit and finally, and most importantly, we are able to see the level of competition, and develop a game plan that will enable us to ensure our success during our qualifiers in May. I’m pleased at where we are at this stage of our training camp.”
As Guyana prepares for its final match of the tournament against Trinidad and Tobago tomorrow, Dr. Joseph said a different match approach will be taken with the “Soca Princesses” to that employed with Grenada and Suriname. However, the focus remains the same, that is, assessing players towards building a stronger unit.
Guyana’s starting lineup was a follows: Aneesa O’ Brien – 01 – (GK), Nikkita Persaud (03), Rylee Traicpff (28), Jade Vyfhuis (06), Alison Heydorn (08) – cap, Brittany Persaud (09), Mariam El-Masri (10), Tiandi Smith (16), Lakeisha Pearson (13), Annalisa Vincent (14) and Jessica Meyers (17).
The final match of Group E will be played at 18:00hrs at the Ato Boldon Stadium.
For more information, please contact:
Debra Francis (Ms.)
Communications and Public Relations Officer