Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz completed a perfect two-game sweep of hosts Peru with a thrilling 3-2 victory in their final friendly international match at Estadio Miguel Grau in Lima on Wednesday, a result that left Head Coach Hubert Busby beaming with pride.

The Reggae Girlz, who won the first game 2-0 with goals from Jody Brown and Kayle McKenna, came out aggressively in the second match, determined to pick up from where they left off. Their efforts were rewarded in the sixth minute when Naya Cardoza opened the scoring, marking her first goal for Jamaica.

Reanna Blades doubled the lead in the 19th minute, also scoring her first goal for the country. Tiffany Cameron added a third goal in the 22nd minute, her eighth for Jamaica.

Peru fought back with goals from Birka Ruiz in the 35th minute and Alondra Vichez in the 54th minute, but the Reggae Girlz held on for the win.

The victory was a testament to the team’s resilience and determination, and Busby was quick to praise his players.

“We’re trying to make sure that the players see a pathway into the senior team and that’s why we play these games. Obviously, we want to, as I said before. The prerequisite is always to get a result but it’s with a performance and finding a way to win,” Busby said.

He highlighted the importance of providing opportunities for emerging members of the team to develop and gain experience.

“Some of these players have asked some questions, made themselves, and put themselves in contention going forward. I think that’s really at the end of the day, to summarise again — that’s what we wanted to see — these players [being] able to come through, and credit to all of them as they’ve [had] a really good week here,” Busby noted.

Busby said the hosts provided a tough challenge for his team.

“Credit to Peru that gave us a really tough game and we got off to a really good start, but we had to manage that game over the line. And then credit to the players, credit to the staff for us finding a way to get a result, but again more importantly give the young players some valuable experience,” he said.

The Reggae Girlz’s performance was not perfect, but Busby reiterated he was pleased with the overall effort.

“You know, it is going to be a little disjointed when you’ve got players coming in for the first time, players making their debut and nerves that go along with it. Again credit to some of the senior heads for being able to manage the young ones through, but overall these two games again prove valuable for us and hope these players gain the experience,” the Jamaica head coach said.

Busby emphasised the importance of unity and resilience within the team.

“It’s about making sure we provide opportunities for players to come through. The group is really important, and our superpower is our unity and ability to stay resilient through trying times. I give the senior players a lot of credit. It doesn’t matter where they come in — the young players know there’s a standard.

“The more experienced players bring them along, but when they come in, they also raise that bar. You could see that towards the end of the game. We had two senior players on at the end alongside nine college players, and as I said to them after the game, I couldn’t be prouder. They found a way to get that result over the line, but more importantly, they showed the resilience to finish off that match,” he said.

The sweep of Peru marks a positive step forward for the team, and Busby is eager to build on this momentum. The Reggae Girlz are next to be in action on April 5 and 8 against Mexico in two friendly internationals in Kansas City and Houston, respectively.

Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz Head Coach Hubert Busby (Photo: Observer file)