Young Reggae Girlz hit St Kitts for four
Published:Sunday | February 23, 2025 | 12:16 AMGregory Bryce - Staff Reporter
IN THEIR second game of the Concacaf Girls U20 Qualifiers, Jamaica got the better of Caribbean opponents St Kitts and Nevis 4-0 at the National Football Stadium in Managua, Nicaragua yesterday.
Goals from Una Lue (15th minute), Maya Raghunandanan (24th, 26th) and Destiny Powell (45th) paved the way for the young Reggae Girlz to keep their perfect record going.
Jamaica started the stronger of the two teams and had St Kitts pegged back in the opening minutes of the proceedings.
Lue, the ever-lurking threat on the wing, got the first goal of the afternoon when she was the quickest to react in the box, following up on a spilled save from goalkeeper Tatyanna Daley to hammer the ball into the roof of the net.
Raghunandanan would bag a two-minute brace as she displayed her ball-striking ability, to the dismay of the Kittian defence.
Brushing by her marker in the 23rd minute, she let loose a wonder strike from distance that struck the crossbar before falling into the net.
Raghunandanan cropped up for her second goal soon after in an almost mirror fashion, breezing past her marker again to fire home from similar range and leaving Daley beaten for pace.
Powell joined in on the goalscoring just before the half-time whistle, as she ran into the box to slot home Alyssa Stephenson’s assist.
Yet, where the first half was filled with the goals, the second was an entirely different story, as the team seemed to have lost their shooting boots.
Despite their constant pressure and several opportunities at goal, the U20 Girlz could not add to their tally before the referee’s final whistle.
With the win, Jamaica now moves to six points in Group D and, as of press time, has taken the top spot with Nicaragua set to play St Vincent and the Grenadines the second game of the group.
The U20 Girlz will face the Central Americans on Monday knowing a win will confirm their spot in the Concacaf Women’s U20 Championships.