Reggae Girlz edge Paraguay with late goal in international friendly
ST JAMES, Jamaica – Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz edged Paraguay 1-0 on Thursday in the first of the sides’ two international friendlies at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall.
A stoppage time goal from the veteran Alysson Swaby who assumed the captain’s arm band after Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw was substituted after 63 minutes, was the difference between the teams after a stupendous display by the Paraguayan goalkeeper Alicia Bobadilla to frustrate the Jamaicans.
Jamaica dominated the game, especially in the first half, but missed a handful of good scoring chances much to the dismay of coach Lorne Donaldson.
“There was not too many things we did well tonight,” Donaldson told OBSERVER ONLINE after the game, adding “we should have won this game from the first half but that is how it is.”
Jamaica finally broke down the Paraguayans two minutes into time added after Bobadilla went full stretch to her left to parry a shot that came form a corner but the ball fell nicely for the veteran defender who made no mistake.
Jamaica could have ended the game in the first half but Bobadilla pulled off a series of fine saves to deny Shaw and Drew Spence and another early in the second half from substitute Tiffany Cameron.
Bobadilla made her first save in the 18th minute when she came off her line to stop Shaw and came up big twice in the next 10 minutes, both times denying the Manchester City player.
Shaw dribbled almost the length of the Paraguay half in the 27th minute but the Paraguay custodian timed her challenge well and plucked the ball off her feet.
Jamaica had two chances a minute later when Shaw shook the cross bar and the ball rebounded to Paige Bailey Gayle who hooked the ball wide of the left post.
A well worked free kick found Shaw on the left side of the 18 yards area but she blasted the ball high over the bar and, a minute before the break, Bobadilla stick out a right boot to deflect a shot from Spence who was sent through down the right flank.
Sydney Schneider, who replaced Rebecca Spencer in the Jamaican goal at the start of the second half, came up big mid-way the half with a series of saves as the Paraguay team threatened to take over the game.
Schneider stuck out a right glove to parry a shot that flashed across her goal in the 64th minute and then pulled off a double block a minute later to keep the scores at 0-0.
