JAMAICA’S Under-17 Reggae Girlz were scheduled to leave the island today for the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under-17 Women’s Championship Qualifying tournament in the Dominican Republic where they will play in Group D alongside the hosts and Aruba.

The young Reggae Girls will play Aruba on Wednesday and the hosts on Sunday at the Estadio Panamericano de Futbol in San Cristobal.

Aruba and the Dominican Republic will meet on Friday at the same venue.

The players, who have been getting warm-up matches by participating in the Sherwin Williams Women’s league, ended their schedule on a winning note with a 1-0 win over Waterhouse at the UWI Mona Bowl on Saturday. The young women also had victories against St Thomas and Olympic Gardens in two other games.

In the build up to today’s departure, assistant coach Xavier Gilbert, said he was impressed with what he had seen to date.

“(It) is always a good thing to leave on a winning note… going into a tournament,” he said.

“We’re pleased with the way they (players) handled themselves and we’re very happy going into the tournament with a performance like this.”

Several players were rested for last Saturday’s final game, which Gilbert said was a precautionary measure to guard against aggravating any injuries.

“We’re just assessing them. We don’t want to take any chances before a tournament… we have them in training and they do well, but for the game situation, we don’t want to lose them here and then don’t have them for the tournament,” he explained.

Gilbert said his team was otherwise ready to face the opposition in the Dominican Republic this week.

“We’re very confident going into the tournament… we played them a few years ago so we have an idea of the style of play and we’re pretty confident of what the girls will do against them,” he said.

The squad includes two Canada-based players — Jalen Simms and Jorja Hughes. The local members hail from schools in eight parishes including Manchester, St Elizabeth, Portland, St Mary, Manchester, Kingston & St Andrew and St Catherine.

They are Chris-Ann Chambers (Wolmer’s), Eula Webber (Fair Prospect), Shaquillia Pitterson (Excelsior), Imanie Richards (Papine), Georgia Bailey (St Jago), Tiffany Robinson (Excelsior), Khadija Shaw (St Jago), Shantell Thompson (Tacius Golding), Shanice McDonald (Donald Quarrie High), Nicole Broderick (Excelsior), Shantel Bailey (Charlie Smith), Shadie Shirley (Charlie Smith), Shashonna Bennett (Oracabessa), Remona Hyde (Lennon), and Deneisha Blackwood (Excelsior High).

Loraine Scringer will head the delegation, which includes coach Vin Blaine, assistants Gilbert and Merron Gordon, team manager Jean Nelson and Ephraim Ingram.

The other groups in the CFU play-offs will see The Bahamas, Antigua & Barbuda and Bermuda in Group A; Trinidad & Tobago, Dominica and St Kitts & Nevis in Group B; Guyana, Curacao and Anguilla competing in Group C.

The four group winners will advance to a second group phase in September, from which three will qualify for the eight-team CONCACAF finals next year.

The finals also will include North American sides the United States, Canada and Mexico as well as two from Central America.

CONCACAF will send three teams to the U-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan from September 12- October 13, 2012.