THE Lady Jags played to a 1-1 draw with rivals Cuba, when the two sides met yesterday in the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Football Union (FCU) leg of the Olympic Qualifier. Guyana found the back of the net twelve minutes into the contest through their skipper Ashley Rodrigues but the Lady Jags could not keep the Cubans at bay and allowed them to equalise in the 34th minute.
Justine Rodrigues could have given the Lady Jags the lead and probably the game, if her header did not hit the crossbar in the second half.
The Cubans scouted the Guyanese women after seeing the Lady Jags dismantle St Kitts and Nevis, but the technical staff surprised them with a different line-up.
It was Cuba’s first game of the tournament while Guyana wrapped up their stay on the Island after defeating St Kitts and Nevis 8-0 in their opening Group 4 match.
The result means that Guyana’s fate will be decided in the Cuba versus St Kitts and Nevis clash tomorrow.
Coach Mark Rodrigues ladies ended their Group stage campaign undefeated but now, they will be keeping their fingers crossed, hoping that Cuba don’t beat St Kitts and Nevis by more than eight goals.
Meanwhile, despite not picking up the win, Rodrigues believes that his girls “played really well” and added, “We dominated them in the first half and spilt the second as we defended and played out on the counter.”