Ja lose openers at Junior Pan-Am Hockey Champs
JAMAICA’S male and female teams suffered opening game losses to Trinidad & Tobago yesterday on day two of the 2012 Pan American
Junior Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico.
T&T crushed the Jamaican men 8-1, after leading 5-0 at half-time in their Pool A match.
Andrew Vieira hit a triple while Nicholas Grant and Shaquille Daniel added two goals each for T&T to top the group with three points, along with defending champions Argentina, who pounded Guatemala, 24-0, on Monday.
Chad Pedro and Tariq Marcano were the other scorers for T&T as Jamaican captain Kemar Mitchell banged in the lone goal in the 49th minute from a penalty stroke.
The Aubyn Ferguson-coached Jamaica will face the mighty Argentines this afternoon at 12:30. Lucas Martinez, who scored six goals in the match against Guatemala, and skipper Gonzalo Peillat, who added another four goals in that match, should prove hard to contain by the Jamaica Under-21 team.
In the women’s game, T&T won 3-0 to top Pool B with three points. Kelll O’Brien, Brianna Govia, and Dana De Gannes scored for the Trinis in the 24th, 42nd, and 57th minutes, respectively.
Defending champions United States and Chile also share the lead in Pool B with three
points, having whipped Venezuela and Paraguay with identical 9-0 wins.
The Jamaican young ladies, being guided by veteran coach Dr Michelle Holt, will face Chile this morning at 9:00.
In the 2008 Junior Pan Am Hockey Championships, Jamaica finished 10th out of the 11 teams that participated in the men’s competition in Trinidad & Tobago, while the women did not participate in the Mexico City-held event four years ago.
