Cavalier, Frazsier’s Whip clash in JWPL final
Scarlett: I am hoping this is the season I can celebrate
Published:Saturday | June 10, 2023 | 12:57 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Cavalier face favourites Frazsiers Whip today in their third straight Jamaica Women’s Premier League (JWPL) final and coach Everdean Scarlett is hoping the third time’s the charm. The game is set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. at the UWI-JFF/Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence.
“This is my third final and I am hoping that this year will be the successful year. When I started the project I gave myself a three-year span to win the title. So I am hoping that this is the season I can celebrate,” Scarlett said.
Cavalier had a long lay-off, after Frazsiers Whip’s semifinal was postponed because of players on national duties, but despite not playing competitively for more than two weeks, Scarlett is confident they will be ready for the big match.
“Having this long break from the semis to the final it’s good and bad because match fitness is different from regular fitness and having not played so long has taken a toll on us (mentally). But nonetheless we are ready to play,” he added.
UNFORTUNATE
Frazsiers Whip recently defeated Cavalier on penalties for the knockout final, but Scarlett thought they were unfortunate to be on the losing end that day and believes he knows what to do to get a positive result today.
“We should have won as we got a penalty two minutes before full-time. But it’s always a good match-up. It’s two exciting teams and anything can happen on the day, but for us to be victorious we have to play consistent,” he said.
Cavalier’s hopes will rest on the shoulders of the team’s leading scorer Rena Gordon, Sashana Watson, Jynnell Graham, Ashanti Lewis, Suen Gregory and Kersha Thomas.
Frazsiers Whip’s coach Xavier Gilbert thought they put in a less-than-ideal performance in the knockout final and admitted they have a number of issues to address before the game.
“It is going to be a tough encounter for us. They have been our toughest test all season, the knockout final proved that. They did well. They were organised. They tried to exploit our weak areas and in most instances they were successful and we will have to guard against that,” he said.
“So there were some things that we did not get right and we hope to get it right in the final.”
He added that although they wear the favourites’ tag, there is no guarantee they’ll have a successful game. He believes it’s anybody’s game.
“Favourites do not win all the time. This is a final and anything can play. But the KO final gives us a guide in how they will approach the game and we just have to fix things,” he said.
Frazsiers Whip will have the likes of national under-20 players Notoya Atkinson, Shaneil Buckley, Andrene Smith, Tiny Seaton, Destiny Powell, Akelia Johnson and Janiel Mignott in their line-up and Gilbert thinks they can make the difference
“We have some players just returned from the Concacaf Under-20 Championships and we just hope they are sharp and ready to go. I think they can make that difference,” he added.