JAMAICA’S Reggae Girlz completed a sweep of their two international friendlies against South Africa when they won the second game 3-2, after coming back from a half-time deficit at Montego Bay Sports Complex on Monday.

Vyan Sampson scored her first goal for Jamaica to tie up the scores while Drew Spence and substitute Kayla McKenna added to the tally after Linda Motlhalo had given the visitors the lead.

After a dismal first half wherein the Jamaicans showed very little, if any, imagination and the South Africans turned things around after losing Friday’s first game 3-0, both head coaches — Jamaica’s Hubert Busby and South Africa’s Desiree Ellis — said the games had achieved the objectives they had set out coming in to the series.

While Ellis complained about unfair officiating which she claimed might have cost them a win, Busby said half-time adjustments was the difference for the home team’s improved showing in the second half.

“We recognised, in terms of how they were looking to build, that we needed to add another player in the midfield at the start of the second half,” Busby said at a post-game press conference.

“It is usually tough to make those adjustments mid-game. We just spoke about it at half-time, showed them what we wanted to do in terms of pressing a little bit higher, and again, they responded really well. That then leads our pressure and our aggressiveness and it leads to how we play. It’s part of our playing model; and just those two or three adjustments and then the impetus on those players to carry out those instructions is really credit to them, and that’s why we’re able to turn around the game in the second half.”

Busby said the short time between the games could have had an effect on the players as well.

Payton McNamara and Deneisha Blackwood were the players who came on at the start of the second half.

“We made a couple of adjustments, brought on some fresh legs, which was the impetus for them to come on and do some different things in midfield,” Busby said. “That was always the plan — to integrate some players on, and to push through that threshold as well. So, again, you know, credit to the players.; they deserve all of it in terms of us turning around the game and coming out here with a win.”

Despite the calls which she said went against them, including two penalties she claimed, Ellis said she saw enough of her young players to give them confidence when they start the defence of their Women’s AFCON title next year.

“We knew we were a better team than the previous game,” she said. “Even though we brought a very young team, we had nine new players [who] had come in since the England game; seven had started the first match, and we made a couple of changes again.”

After being shut out on Friday, South Africa took advantage of a better start and took the lead in the 20th minute when Motlhalo beat teenage goalkeeper Liya Brooks from close range.

Jamaica had the first chance to score but Shania Hayles had scooped a ball over the crossbar from about eight yards out.

Spence, who had a good game in midfield, took over the match and willed her team on to the win, spearheading the move that led to the equaliser.

She recovered the ball deep inside the South Africa half, and after Khadija Shaw missed with a header, the ball fell to overlapping defender Sampson who got the ball through a crowd of players on her second attempt in the 59th minute.

Spence then put Jamaica in the lead five minutes later, heading the ball powerfully past goalkeeper Kaylin Swart.

Swart pulled off a stunning strike a minute later when she got a glove to a powerful left footer from Shaw, who managed to free herself from two defenders and took aim at the goal.

Kayla McKenna, who replaced Shaw, got the third goal when she was sent through, and after beating the South African defence she gave Swart no chance from close range.

A mistake by Brooks in time added allowed South Africa to cut the deficit to one, however, as the ball fell from the custodian and Nicole Michael took full advantage by poking it across the goal line.