GUYANA’S Lady Jags, Guyana’s National senior women’s team – held their own and had a 2-2 draw in their second match against Suriname as competition in Group E of the CFU Women’s Challenge Series heats up at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Trinidad and Tobago.

The spirited match, played in front of a small but supportive crowd, and captained by Alison Heydorn, saw the Guyanese team create multiple scoring opportunities even amidst injuries sustained by some players.

The Lady Jags had an early start in the match when one of the team’s debutantes, midfielder Tiandi Smith, scored in the 21st minute.

However, Suriname made a comeback on the brink of halftime with a goal in the 45th minute. During the second half, Brittany Persaud gave Guyana the lead in the 56th minute but Suriname quickly capitalised on their chance to score and equalised with a goal in the 65th minute.

In an invited comment following the match, head coach of the Lady Jags, Dr Ivan Joseph, said the team was able to experiment with some players to aid evaluation.

“We started a couple of different players in a few positions and we were able to evaluate and assess and learn more about them. I thought Tiandi did a nice job; she was involved in the first goal and put up a couple of opportunities. Lakeshia Pearson continues to be a dangerous threat down the wing and Siacy (Horicia) Adams came in the last 15 minutes of the game and really held her own and I thought she was a bright spot,” said Dr Joseph.

In summarising the match, Dr Joseph said focusing on the process not the outcome is important, adding, “Several players have displayed their ability to play at this level.

“We’ve been able to blend and gel as a unit and finally, and most importantly, we are able to see the level of competition, and develop a game plan that will enable us to ensure our success during our qualifiers in May. I’m pleased at where we are at this stage of our training camp.”

As Guyana prepare for their final match of the tournament against Trinidad and Tobago tomorrow, Dr Joseph said a different match approach will be taken with the ‘Soca Princesses’ to that employed with Grenada and Suriname. However, the focus remains the same that is: assessing players towards building a stronger unit.

Guyana’s starting line-up was as follows: Aneesa O’ Brien – 1 – (goalkeeper), Nikkita Persaud (3), Rylee Traicpff (28), Jade Vyfhuis (6), Alison Heydorn (8) – captain, Brittany Persaud (9), Mariam El-Masri (10), Tiandi Smith (16), Lakeisha Pearson (13), Annalisa Vincent (14) and Jessica Meyers (17).

The final match of Group E will be played at 18:00hrs at the Ato Boldon Stadium.