Girlz rebound with 3-0 win in U-20 championships
Published:Monday | February 28, 2022 | 10:22 PMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter -
Despite the absence of their captain Peyton McNamara, Jamaica's Under 20 women's team got their Under 20 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign back on track, defeating Cuba 3-0 in their second group game of the Concacaf Under-20 women's championships in the Dominican Republic yesterday.
Led by a brace from Kameron Simmonds (34th and 49th minutes) and a strike from Christina Salmon in the 81st minute, the young Reggae Girlz rebounded from their opening defeat to Guatemala on Saturday to put themselves back in the race for qualification for the knockout tournament.
The team suffered a major blow as McNamara was ruled out of the rest of the tournament because of a knee injury. With that setback, head coach Xavier Gilbert made three changes from Saturday's starting 11, with Theanna Burnett, Davia Richards and Mia Mitchell, starting in place of Nevillegail Able, Chantelle Parker and McNamara who will return to the United States and to her college team Ohio State University for treatment.
The changes provided an offensive start for the Reggae Girlz who gave the Cubans problems in the first half and got their first opportunity on goal in the first 20 minutes of the game when Simmonds saw her shot cannon off the post. Although their build-up play caused problems, they could not make their various chances count. But Richards in particular was threatening in the midfield and her interplay with Simmonds managed to produce the opener, as the latter fired into the bottom corner after Richards found her on the right-hand side.
It was that same combination that led to the second goal four minutes into the second half. Richards provided a cross from the right-hand side that Simmonds managed to head into the net from close range to not only double the lead but to give their goal difference a more positive outlook.
With nine minutes to go in the game, Salmon made the points safe as her low drive managed to trickle past Cuba's goalkeeper Elika Rodriquez for Jamaica's first three points of the tournament and to improve their goal difference to plus two, putting them in a good position to advance to the round of 16.
Jamaica will close out group play tomorrow when they face Haiti at 6 p.m. The top three teams at the tournament will qualify for the Under 20 FIFA World Cup which will take place next August in Costa Rica.
Jamaica: Liya Brooks, Shania Harris, Zoe Vidaurre, Maliah Atkins, Andrene Smith (Moore Anabel 63rd minute), Mia Mitchell, Theanna Burnett, Shaneil Buckley (Christina Salmon 72nd minute), Alexia Spencer (Alexia Simone Wright 62nd minute), Davia Richards (Nevillegail Able 72nd minute), Kameron Simmonds (Chantelle Parker 75th minute)