JAMAICA will take on Guyana in the featured men’s match of the 2017 Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Games qualifying hockey tournament today at the Jamaica National (JN) Hockey Field, beginning at 4:00 pm.

The top-of-the-table clash will determine which of the two teams will top the men’s points standing. Both teams are tied with nine points each from three outings and are yet to face a defeat.

Jamaica have scored 16 goals without conceding, while Guyana have scored 17 goals with one against.

Coach Nicholas Brown said both teams have already qualified for the final and thus he will be giving some of his junior players more playing time and experience today.

“It will be a cat-and-mouse, tactical game from both teams but I need to feel them out and know their weaknesses during the match. We will also plan to avoid injuries to our senior players so that we can come out blazing in the final on Sunday,” Brown said.

He stressed that although he will be playing some of the junior players in today’s match, he will still be going out there to win.

Guyana’s coach Robert Fernandes expects his players to give the Jamaicans a good battle and will be looking towards another good performance from Aroydy Brandford, Jamar Assnah, and Kareem McKenzie, along with the rest of the players.

Meanwhile, Jamaica’s women’s team will also be in action today when they take on Bermuda, starting at 12 noon.

Jamaica have already qualified for the final, while Bermuda and Guyana are seeking to finish second for a berth in the final. Guyana have eight points, while Bermuda have seven.

Coach Christine Bartley said it should be another challenging match but the players have what it takes to be victorious.

“The competition is very close between Guyana, Bermuda and Jamaica, but we have a better goal difference than our opponents and should go through to the final,” Bartley said.

“The players need to improve on their goal scoring as they created a lot of opportunities in our last two matches but failed to convert them into goals. We also need to be very effective and accurate with our hits to goal,” she added.

Victory for Jamaica rests on the shoulders of Demi Nicholson, Trudyann Knight, Ebony McLean, Kamille Griffiths, Krystal Holgate and Shana-Kay Tullongue, while Bermuda’s coach Hermann-Smith Dafydd will look towards Jasmine Patterson, Selina Whitter, Keishae Robinson and Chrysda Smith to put pressure on their opponents.

The other match in the men’s category will be between Guatemala and Puerto Rico, scheduled to start at 2:00 pm.

Other matches scheduled to be played in the women’s section are Guyana versus Guatemala at 8:00 am, and Puerto Rico against Panama at 10:00 am.

Meanwhile, Jamaica crushed Guatemala 7-0 to chalk up their third win from as many starts yesterday. Kemar Mitchell scored the second hat-trick for Jamaica in the tournament. He scored in the 29th, 40th and 43rd minutes, while the other goals were scored by Onuque Salmon in the third minute, captain Kishawn White in the 32nd minute, Brandon Clarke in the 14th minute, and Charles Burton in the 52nd minute.