Concacaf U-20: Girlz face must-win game against Honduras

Jamaica must defeat Honduras tonight at 8 in their final group game of the Under-20 Concacaf Women’s preliminary round at the National Football Stadium in Managua, Nicaragua, to advance to the final round.

The young Reggae Girlz enter the game tied with Honduras on six points but second place in the group because of an inferior goal difference (+8). Honduras thrashed Anguilla 9-0 in their second group game on Sunday, boosting their goal difference to +14 while Jamaica defeated Bermuda 2-0 in their group encounter.

Jamaica’s victory was not as comfortable as their 6-0 win over Anguilla on Friday, needing second-half goals from Shaneil Buckley (48th minute) and Davia Richards (92nd minute) to continue their strong record against the Bermudians.

Only the group winners are guaranteed a place in the final round of the tournament which starts next month. Before the tournament, Honduras were seen as the Girlz’s biggest obstacle to their goal of making the final round. However, technical director Wendell Downswell was not in the business of underestimating any opponent while optimistic about the team having the ability to prove themselves at the next age level.

“You can never tell what the other countries are doing and with women’s football, there is not much information. But if you look at the last couple of under-17 teams, they did well and they did that without a league,” Downswell said in an interview in The Gleaner on April 12. “So they have been doing themselves proud and should continue to do so.”

Jamaica’s last meeting with Honduras was in 2015 in the final round of the Under-20 Concacaf Women’s Championship where they played to a 2-2 draw in their opening group game where ironically, Honduras were the host country. National striker Khadija Shaw scored both goals in that game in a campaign where Jamaica failed to advance from the group with Honduras getting the second and final spot in the knockout round.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com