Even though the scoreboard did not exhibit the figures that Xavier Gilbert had hoped for in both international friendly matches against hosts Chile, the senior Reggae Girlz Head Coach was not dissatisfied. In fact, he was pleased that players had demonstrated growth and improvement in their craft.

Jamaica went down 1-5 to the Chileans in the first of the two games played at the Complejo Juan Pinto Duran Stadium in Macul on Friday.

Michelle Olivares (12th minute), Maria Jse Urrutia (22nd minute), Yastin Jimenez (61st minute), Yenny Acuna (70th minute), and Paloma Aracela Bustamante Duarte (88th minute) scored for the Chileans, while Chinyelu Asher got the lone goal for the Jamaicans from the penalty spot in the 77th minute.

Despite an improved performance by the Reggae Girlz, they lost 0-1 in the final encounter on Tuesday.

Chile made sure that they won both games in the series against Jamaica when Yessenia Lopez scored the only goal in the 34th minute at the Estadio Municipal de La Pintana Stadium. Despite creating a few opportunities, the Reggae Girlz were unable to convert and had to return home empty-handed.

“The performance in the second game was very good. I mean, I was pretty pleased and happy with the way how they executed in all areas. It was just unfortunate that we conceded with the opportunities that we created,” Gilbert told the Jamaica Observer.

“After getting in with a couple of sessions, we looked at some of things that we needed to improve and then we made the necessary preparations and arrangements. But the most important thing is that at the end of the day, the girls still have to go out there and executed and I think we did that.

“There was massive improvement from the first game. I mean, the energy, the effort, and everything about it were definitely better. The atmosphere also was better. We just continue to get more games and have players integrated and playing together. The more games is the better we will get,” he further stated.

Gilbert stated that the experience was beneficial to both the players and their future development.

“Looking at the overall trip, both games severed us well. Some players made debuts and it augured well in terms of widening the pools. Some players picked up injuries leading into the second game.

“We made six changes to the starting line-up from the first game; some players were forced while others weren’t and they performed well. Hopefully we can continue to occupy the FIFA windows that are available and look at many players in these windows heading into the World Cup qualifiers,” Gilbert said.

The team was scheduled to arrive in Jamaica on Wednesday.