What Happened to Guyana in the 2020 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship
Guyana’s national football teams are on the rise. In 2019, the Guyana senior men’s national team participated in its first-ever Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Gold Cup and its U-17 team qualified for the CONCACAF U-17 Championship for the first time.
Building on the momentum generated by the men, the women’s U-20 program achieved a historic feat in 2020 by qualifying for its first-ever CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship.
First Appearance in the 16-Team Tournament
The CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship is a tournament consisting of CONCACAF member nations that has been held on a biennial basis since 2002. The 10th edition of the tournament took place between February 22 and March 8 in the Dominican Republic, with the top two finishers earning entry into the 2020 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
The top 16 ranked teams were due to participate in the tournament, but Costa Rica and Panama, ranked 5th and 10th respectively, were removed from the tournament as they automatically qualified for the World Cup as host nations. Consequently, Guyana and Saint Kitts and Nevis, which had previously earned entry into the tournament’s round of 16 via qualifying matches, rounded out the 16 teams participating in the group stage.
It was Guyana and Saint Kitts and Nevis’ first time qualifying for the tournament. Puerto Rico and El Salvador also participated for the first time. Other countries participating included two-time champions Canada, five-time champions United States, and defending champions Mexico. Teams were split into groups of four with the top three teams advancing to the knockout stage. Barbados, Bermuda, Grenada, and Saint Lucia rounded out the round of 16, although those teams lost their respective matches by a combined score of 39–2.
Roster Composition
Guyana’s roster consisted of players born between 2000 and 2005. Forward Jalade Trim, born on June 27, 2005, was its youngest player, while other young players included Samantha Banfield, Jaida Brooks, and Shamya Daniels, all of whom were born in 2004. Goalkeepers Taylor White and Raven Edwards-Dowdall as well as midfielder Brianne Desa were the only players on the team born in 2000.
Second Place in Group D
Guyana was placed in Group D along with Mexico, the defending champions of the tournament, Puerto Rico, and Nicaragua. Guyana opened the tournament with a 3–1 victory over Nicaragua at Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez in Santo Domingo. Aubrey Narine, Jade Vuyfhuis, and Serena McDonald scored for Guyana, while Jaclyn Gilday scored the lone goal for Nicaragua. The Lady Jaguars improved to 2–0 in the group stage two days later with a 2–1 victory over Puerto Rico. Cristina Roque scored an own goal in the 54th minute to give Guyana a 1–0 advantage and Narine notched her second of the tournament in the 81st minute to provide Guyana with some insurance. Gabrielle Cimino scored for Puerto Rico in the 87th minute.
With first place in Group D on the line, Guyana was competitive against Mexico. The Lady Jaguars held the defending champions off the scoresheet until the 78th minute, when Joseline Montoya scored her first of two penalty kick goals. Mariel Roman scored in extra time to give Mexico a 3–0 victory.
Round of 16 Victory Against Cayman Islands
After finishing second in Group D, Guyana was matched up against Cayman Islands, which finished third in Group F, in the round of 16. Shanice Alfred opened the scoring for Guyana in the 24th minute and Narine scored her third of the tournament in the 55th minute to secure a 2–0 victory for the Lady Jaguars. The win advanced Guyana to the quarter-finals.
Quarter-Final Loss to Haiti
Guyana was paired with Haiti in the quarter-finals in what was expected to be a tough match. Haiti finished first in Group F after scoring 22 goals and allowing none in three games. It defeated Barbados 12–0 in the round of 16. While Guyana lost to Haiti, it allowed only three goals against in the loss. Haiti possessed the ball for 63 percent of the game and had 28 shot attempts compared to three by Guyana. From there, Haiti lost to Mexico in the semi-finals, while the United States defeated the Dominican Republic to set up a rematch of the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship. The United States won its sixth title with a 4–1 victory over Mexico.
Despite being ousted in the quarter-finals, Guyana proved itself capable of competing with higher-ranked teams in its first-ever CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship. Its performance is even more impressive given the women’s football program was relaunched in 2017: “From the senior team to the U15s, the women’s teams continue to make history,” said Guyana Football Federation International Director of Women’s Programs Paul Beresford, prior to the tournament. “Additionally, we have seen excellent progress as we develop our young Guyana-based players who face very real obstacles to their development.”
