PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The Jamaica Women’s Under-20 fitness coach Will Hitzelberger believes that though the Young Reggae Girlz were below the desired level of physical condition, the rejuvenation sessions between games provided them with an edge over their opponents.

Friday afternoon, Jamaica were beaten 0-2 by hosts Haiti in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) final at the Stade Sylvio Cator.

That game was the Jamaicans’ fifth game in a hectic nine-day schedule after they opened their account in Group B on October 15. Haiti, who were in a three-team group, played four games overall.

“The competition has been pretty even and we feel that the components of recovery has given us that edge. Looking at some of the other teams, I don’t believe they’ve been doing what we’ve been doing,” Hitzelberger told the Jamaica Observer before the game.

“Essentially we don’t have any injuries due to fatigue or anything like that. We only had one contact injury [to Captain Khadija Shaw’s right knee), so overall I think that as a group we’ve done a good job recovering , hydrating, eating, stretching, everything,” he said.

In between match days, the Young Reggae Girlz have had a combination of ice and warm baths, as well as pool sessions and various stretch exercises, guided by the Orlando, Florida-based fitness expert. He explained that each of those activities has contributed to improved muscle recovery and a general freshness for each game.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the feedback from the players was more positive than usual on the eve of the championship match.

“Each morning we have them fill out a readiness form, just kind of evaluating how they recovered overnight. Today [Friday] the readiness form was very positive, the percentages were very high, so I don’t know if that was down to excitement of playing in a final,” Hitzelberger said.

The coaching staff was not able to hold a pre-tournament camp because most players were locked into commitments to their schools in North America.

That left a Jamaica squad showing lack of fitness, among other things.

The suggestion from Hitzelberger is that that will not suffice when the team campaigns in the tough CONCACAF stage of World Cup qualifying set for Honduras in early December.

“I guess the level of competition has allowed our fitness level to be okay, and we’ve been able to get results with that,” he said.

Jamaica, along with Haiti, are automatic qualifiers to the CONCACAF Round. Trinidad & Tobago, who defeated Puerto Rico on penalties in the third-place play-off, will join them.

No Jamaica women’s team has ever qualified for a World Cup.

Sanjay Myers