Lady Jags advance!

Dec 04, 2023 Sports

…Guyana down Antigua & Barbuda 3-0 to top Group A of W Championship Qualifiers

By Rawle Toney

Kaieteur Sports – The Lady Jags have advanced to the Concacaf W Gold Cup qualifier playoff round after securing a 3-0 victory over Antigua and Barbuda at the Dr. Franklin Essed Stadium in Suriname last night.

With the win, the Lady Jags clinched the top spot in League B’s Group A, accumulating a total of 15 points from their six matches.

Since their initial setback with a 1-2 defeat against Antigua and Barbuda on September 20, the Lady Jags remained unbeaten in their subsequent five games.

The Lady Jags achieved decisive victories against Dominica (5-0, 9-0) and secured back-to-back 1-0 wins against Suriname.

In the latest match, the Lady Jags took the lead 39 minutes into the game through Annalisa Vincent, maintaining it until the second half.

Otesha Charles marked her sixth group stage goal in the 63rd minute, extending Guyana’s lead to 2-0.

Neema Liverpool’s 85th-minute goal further solidified Guyana’s success in League B of the Concacaf W Gold Cup qualifiers.

Concacaf reports that the three group runners-up from League A and the three group winners from League B will progress to the playoffs where the teams will be paired based on the December 2023 CONCACAF Women’s Ranking.

As per the current Concacaf Women’s rankings, the teams competing in the February 17 playoffs in Carson, California, USA are led by the highest-ranked team, Costa Rica (3), followed by Guatemala (9), Puerto Rico (11), El Salvador (13), and Guyana (14).

The battle for the top spot in Group C of League B is between the Dominican Republic (15) and Bermuda (16) and the outcome of their December 5 match will determine which team advances to the playoffs.

The playoff matchups will be determined by the December rankings, with the highest-ranked team facing the lowest-ranked side, the second-ranked team playing against the sixth-best-ranked team, and the third-highest-ranked team meeting the fourth-best-ranked team.

The winners of each playoff will directly advance to the group stage of the Concacaf W Championship.

• Annalisa Vincent, Antigua & Barbuda, Concacaf W Gold Cup qualifier, Lady Jags