20 Reggae Girlz named for Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifies
The technical staff of the Senior Reggae Girlz yesterday named four new players in a strong squad of 20 to represent Jamaica at the upcoming Women’s Olympic Qualifiers, Group B, which will be hosted by Jamaica from September 30 to October 8.
Other countries in the group are Barbados, St Lucia, Cuba and the US Virgin Islands.
Earning their first call-ups to the senior Reggae Girlz squad are goalkeepers Ricquelle Farquharson and Milan Dewkinandan, both of whom have been part of Jamaica’s National Under-20 squads in the past. They both have Jamaican fathers.
Rutgers University standout Tiernny Wiltshire is the third new overseas-based player to be invited to the squad. Wiltshire is a natural sportswoman, and excelled in football, basketball and track at Shuttock St Mary’s High School before accepting a scholarship to Rutgers where she is a leading player.
Cavalier attacking player Rena Gordon, the current leading scorer in the 2019 Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Women’s Premier League, also found favour with the coaching staff for the first time.
Also included in the squad are Jamaica’s leading goalscorer at the national senior level in Khadija Shaw; the goalscorer for Jamaica in the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup, Havana Solaun; the Best Young Player of the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship, as named by the confederation’s technical committee, Jody Brown; and Dominique Bond-Flasza, who scored the last penalty which sealed Jamaica’s qualification to the Fifa Women’s World Cup in 2019. Captain Konya Plummer and 11 other players who were part of the World Cup journey have also been named.
Some players who participated in the Fifa World Cup were ruled out by school commitments and injuries. The majority of players are expected in the island for Saturday.
Jamaica oppose Cuba next Monday, Barbados next Friday, St Lucia on Sunday, October 6, and close out against US Virgin Island on Tuesday, October 8. All games begin at 6:30 pm.
Squad — Chrisann Chambers, Sashana Campbell, Trudi Carter, Rena Gordon, Tarania Clarke, Tiernny Wiltshire, Chinyelu Asher, Chantelle Swaby, Ricquelle Farquharson, Jody Brown, Reilly Paterson, Milan Dewkinandan, Konya Plummer, Tiffany Cameron, Khadija Shaw, Havana Solaun, Allyson Swaby, Dominique Bond-Flasza, Deneisha Blackwood, Cheyna Matthews