After Jamaica’s 2-0 win over Aruba in the Concacaf Under-17 Women’s qualifiers on Tuesday, head coach Marlon Hylton says the young Reggae Girlz are feeling confident and are focused on the task ahead.

The Jamaicans are scheduled to take on St Vincent and the Grenadines at the Stadion Guillermo Prospero Trinidad in Oranjestad, Aruba, on Thursday. The match is to begin 2:00 pm Jamaica time.

On Tuesday, Ricquanna Richards opened the scoring for Jamaica in the 46th minute, which set the tone for the rest of the game. Substitute Elizabeth Miller doubled the Jamaicans’ lead in the 62nd minute as the young Reggae Girlz secured their first win of the campaign after the 1-1 result against Guyana on Sunday.

With confidence boosted from the Aruba win, Hylton is keen to keep the team grounded.

“The win gives us confidence, but we remain grounded. We will stay focused by taking it one game at a time and continuing to trust our preparation,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Hylton said that he was pleased with the way his team executed the game plan against Aruba.

“It was a strong team performance. Several players stepped up with their work rate, discipline, and decision-making, and that collective effort made the difference. Our plan was to press high, force Aruba to play long, and stay compact defensively. The players executed it very well with discipline, energy, and good organisation,” Hylton explained.

Hylton said that the focus now is to maintaining high standards.

“We respect St Vincent and the Grenadines, and we will prepare to approach that match with the same intensity and discipline,” Hylton said.

“The team is growing with each game, especially in organisation and mentality. We still need to improve our consistency and efficiency in the final third.”

— Ruddy Allen

HYLTON… we will prepare to approach that match with the same intensity and discipline (Photo: JFF)