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Young Reggae Girls to face Costa Rica in warm-up games

Published:Tuesday | December 19, 2017 | 12:00 AMMarc Stamp
Gilbert ... assistant coach for the team.

Head coach of the national Women's Under-20 team, Lorne Donaldson, is delighted that the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has secured two friendly international games against Costa Rica in preparation for next year's CONCACAF Championship.

"I think it is a positive step going forward to get a few games in before we get into competition. It is very, very important for us to look at a couple more players and to keep the group playing as we don't have a lot of games," Donaldson told The Gleaner. The friendly games are scheduled for January 3 and 5 in Costa Rica.

"The federation (JFF) has done a good job by securing those two games. It is very, very positive for us. The local girls are in camp preparing for the tournament," Donaldson, who was named by the United Soccer Coaches as Coach of the Year for youth and girls, said.

JFF president Michael Ricketts, in a media release, announced that they have secured two critical practice games for the National Under-20 Women's team against the National Under-20 Women's team of Costa Rica.

"When the team did the country proud by winning at the Caribbean level and qualifying for the CONCACAF round, I committed that the federation would give the necessary support for the team to do well. These games represent an important element of that commitment, and we are working on other possibilities to maximise their preparation," Ricketts said.

The National Under-20 team is preparing for the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship from January 18-28, where three teams will qualify for the FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup to be held in August 2018 in France.

The delegation will arrive in Costa Rica on January 1, 2018. The Jamaica's National Under-20 local Girls will have a training session today at 4 p.m. at the Captain Horace Burrell-UWI-JFF Centre of Excellence. The local players are under the guidance of assistant coach Xavier Gilbert.

 

GROUP MATCHES

 

Jamaica, who emerged champions at the CONCACAF CFU level after placing first in both the preliminary round and the final round, will face Mexico (January, 19), USA (January 21), and Nicaragua (January 23). The other group consists of Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, Haiti, and Canada.

The local players in camp are: Peterkaye Green (Los Perfectos), Tarrania Clarke, Tateyana Pitter, Chavel Henry, Sashine Smith, Chelisa Schloss, Gabrielle Gayle, Sherice Clarke, Jessica Johnson and Nevillgail Able (Waterhouse), Tatyana Polack and Laceyann Murray (St Ann's Women), Rachel Walters and Kevena Reid (G.C. Foster College), Shereece Young, Abigail Mullings and Rhodian Comrie (Real MoBay), Petagay Dixon (Trelawny Women).