MARLON Hylton, head coach of Jamaica’s U-17 women’s football team, said the young Reggae Girlz will be looking to build on their resilient 1-1 draw with Guyana as they take on Aruba this evening in the CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Qualifiers.

Nycolette Prendegas equalised for Jamaica in the 85th minute after Alexaundria Chasles put Guyana in front in the 74th.

Hylton is pleased with his team’s performance against Guyana, citing their defensive solidity and improved second-half display as positives.

“We would have liked all three points but given the heat and the quality of Guyana, the players showed resilience and maturity to come away with a point,” Hylton told the Jamaica Observer.

“We need to be more clinical in front of goal and sharper in our decision-making in the final third,” he added.

Hylton praised the team’s improvement in the second half against Guyana, when they showed better movement and balance. The changes he made at half-time paid off, helping the team control the game more effectively.

“We will assess recovery and matchups but the focus will be on staying defensively solid while being more effective in attack,” Hylton said, setting the tone for the upcoming match against Aruba.

The young Jamaicans will face host Aruba at 6:00 pm (Jamaica time) at the Stadion Guillermo Prospero Trinidad. Jamaica and Guyana are tied for second place on one point each while Honduras lead Group D on three points following their 3-1 win against the host nation. St Vincent and the Grenadines will play their first game today against Honduras.

“We expect a confident, disciplined performance as we continue to push for a win and represent Jamaica with pride,” Hylton added, emphasising the team’s determination to make a mark in the qualifiers.

“Our defensive organisation, mentality, and response after conceding were strong, and that gives us a good platform to build on. We improved in the second half with better movement and balance, and the changes helped us control the game more,” he said.