Star-Studded Jamaican team defeated Haitian Celebrity team in an exhibition match
MIRAMAR (Le Floridien) — The Jamaican National women’s soccer team, aka The Reggae Girlz, made history on October 17, 2018, by becoming the first Caribbean team to reach the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
They achieved the amazing feat by defeating Panama 4-2 on penalty kicks in their third-place playoff match at the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship that was held at the Toyota Stadium in Texas. The Reggae Girlz are among three teams representing the CONCACAF zone, along with the U.S. and Canada.
As the female soccer squad heads to France to compete in the eighth FIFA Women’s World Cup (7 June – 7 July), they made a stop off in South Florida last week where they received a special send-off. Southern Florida is home to a large Jamaican population.
The team was warmly welcomed in Miramar, a city where the governing body are all of Jamaican descent. The largest gathering event was held at Ansin Sports Complex (Miramar) on Thursday afternoon (May 23).
Under the patronage of the Vice Mayor Alexandra P. Davis and the Consulate General of Jamaica in Miami, Oliver Mair, The Reggae Girlz Foundation presented the “World Cup 2019 Send-Off Celebration.” About 2,000 people showed up to support this fundraiser and also demonstrated their love and support for the players. It was also a time for supporters to wish the team good luck in their first opportunity to participate at the highest level of women’s soccer competitions.
It was a night full of music, food, and giveaways offered by multiple local sponsors. Around 5pm, the crowd enjoyed an exhibition soccer match between a star-studded Jamaican team and a Haitian celebrity team, which was composed of some well-known former Haitian players, including Ze Nono Jean-Baptiste, Peguero Jean Philippe, Goebbes Cadet (aka Ti Nazaire), Alix Timer, Ronald Bernard, Billy Salvador, Clyde Geffrard, and Reginald Pierre Jerome (NSU women’s soccer’s goalkeeper coach).
On the Jamaican side were: retired soccer player Ricardo Wayne Gardner, commonly known as Bibi, Ian De Souza Goodison, reggae/dancehall singer and songwriter Chris Martin, and gospel singer Papa San.
The Star-Studded Jamaican team scored two goals in the first half. The Haitian national team’s former striker Peguerro Jean-Philippe cut that lead in half in the fifth minute of the second half. The Jamaican squad, clearly in better shape than the Haitian veterans, added two more goals later in the game. The match ended 4-1 in favor of Jamaica.
The second friendly game between the Reggae Girlz and FC Surge USA (a local women soccer club) was the main event of the night.
The Jamaican team defeated FC Surge USA 2-1 in this friendly match at Ansin Sports Complex before they headed off to Scotland for their final preparations before the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France that opens on June 7.
The girls of FC Surge USA showed great skills, taking the Jamaicans down by one goal in the 6th minute. The local players managed to conserve their advantage until the end of the first half. The Reggae Girlz came back to the field more organized and attacked with force in the second half. Following a period of dominance, and after many attempts, striker Khadija Shaw put the visitors back into the contest with a beautiful goal in the 54th minute. The talented player took a lead pass then dismissed one defender and fired a low shot past the FC Surge USA goalkeeper. The Reggae Girlz scored their second goal from another moment of dominance in the 71st minute to put them up 2-1. This second goal was masterfully orchestrated by Khadija Shaw, the 22-year-old striker who recently graduated from the University of Tennessee.
As the face of the Reggae Girlz senior team, and with all that attention she’s garnering, she is trying to remain humble. All eyes will be on her this month when Jamaica takes on the world at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.
Jamaica is in Group C of the Women’s World Cup with Brazil, Australia, and Italy. The Reggae Girlz will begin their World Cup campaign on June 9 against 2007 Women’s World Cup runners-up Brazil at the Stade des Alpes in Grenoble.
Jamaica will return to action on June 14 at the Stade Auguste-Delaune in Reims where they will square off against Italy.
The Reggae Girlz will then round out their group stage action four days later on June 18 against Australia, again at the Stade des Alpes in Grenoble.
Jamaica’s 23-member World Cup squad consists of: Sydney Schnieder, Konya Plymmer, Marlo Sweatman, Khadijah Shaw, Deneisha Blackwood, Dominique Bond-Flasza, Allyson Swaby, Trudi Carter, Chantelle Swaby, Ashleigh Shim, Sashana Campbell, Nicole McClure, Roriana Patterson, Chinyelu Asher, Lauren Silver, Jody Brown, Chanel Hudson-Mark, Yazmeen Jameison, Kyla McCoy, Chenya Matthews, Tiffany Cameron, Olufolsade Adamolekun and Havana Solaun.
Dessalines Ferdinand
ferdinand@assisweb.com
