HAMILTON, Bermuda — The preparation phase is over and it is now time to get the ball rolling.

That is the position of Jamaica’s Under-20 Reggae Girlz as they get their CONCACAF Women’s Championship quest under way today when they tackle Curacao in a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Group B qualifying game.

Match time is 8:00 pm (6:00 pm Jamaica time) at the National Sports Centre in Devonshire Parish.

With Bermuda thrashing Curacao 5-1 in the opening Group contest on Wednesday to earn themselves three points and a healthy goal difference, the Young Girlz are now tasked with bettering that performance to take over the early lead atop the group.

Interim Head Coach Xavier Gilbert has expressed confidence of victory today, but he will not be leaving anything to chance against a team now battling for survival following Wednesday’s loss.

Gilbert believes the momentum and rhythm from his team’s preparation phase since arriving here is a good indication that a positive result should be on the cards.

“We are looking forward to the game, we are very upbeat and the girls are in good spirits, which is a good sign. Every day we seem to be getting better and better in terms, of the cohesion of the team which is also good.

“In terms of how they are playing, I like the level of aggression and intensity they show in training, and once we can carry that over into the game then we should be comfortable,” Gilbert told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

Along with the scheduled evening training session, Gilbert and his technical team took the players through an early-morning workout which was mainly fitness drills.

And having seen the Curacao team in action on Wednesday, Gilbert opted to attack from the start with a 4-3-3 formation, articulating that it suits the athletic nature of most of the players.

“The plan remains the same; we want to use our speed to get the better of them, especially some of the things that we practised in training prior to seeing them. I think they hold a high backline, and we kind of have an idea of what the lesser Caribbean teams normally do.

“So we are trying to counter that with the midfield transitioning to attack quickly and utilise our skill and speed to get the ball inside the box. Once we get that done and have players inside the box, I think we are going to get some goals,” the tactician explained.

He will start with Sydney Schneider in goal, with Captain Emily Caza, Jadyn Matthews in the heart of defence, flanked by Erin Mikalsen and Gabrielle Gayle. In mid-field Alyssa Julien, Giselle Washington and Ebony Clarke will do the duties, with the three-prong attack being led by Jessica Johnson, Marlee Fray and Jody Brown.

Only the three group-stage winners are set to progress to the final qualifying stage and join St Kitts and Nevis as the host of the final round. Haiti and Dominican Republic are hosts of the other two groups.

In the final qualifying phase, teams finishing first and second in the group, will automatically qualify for the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Under 20 Championship.

Jamaica’s 20-member squad, which comprise a majority of players who brought the country Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under-17 Championship glory in Puerto Rico in 2015, are aspiring to surpass the feat of the previous Under-20 team that made it to the CONCACAF Championships in Honduras in 2015.

That team bowed out at the group stage, finishing third on four points behind eventual runner-up Canada and the hosts.