SAINT LUCIA’S young female footballers will today begin their quest for regional supremacy when they begin the campaign at the CONCACAF Caribbean Women’s Under-20 Championship at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.
The players, who are under the guidance of Head Coach Francis Lastic and Assistant Coach Denis Didier, have been drawn in Group C alongside Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba and Bermuda.
They will open their quest against Bermuda at 8:30 p.m. before facing Aruba on Thursday and Antigua and Barbuda on Saturday.
The squad includes a number of players who represented Saint Lucia last year in Florida in the Under-15 CONCACAF tournament in which Saint Lucia finished fifth out of 22 teams.
Central defender Shakera Classe, who has been named captain of the squad, is coming in with a bit of experience as she has captained Vieux Fort South to two championship wins, one in 2016 and the other in 2017 in the Saint Lucia Football Association Under-15 Tournament.
The remainder of the squad reads: Sacha Alcide, Faith Emmanuel, Ilana Lashley, Jahnya Charlemagne, Geean Henry, Krysan St. Louis, Thai Fowell, Vionce Weekes, Steffanie Allain, Britanya St. Prix, Kenna Lionel, Melanie Richard, Nicofia Joseph, Tiffanie Allain, Cassandra Shepherd, Gianna Hilton, Shaquelle Charlery, Kennisha Joseph and Racquel John.
Meanwhile, Team Manager Karen Fowell spoke to The VOICE yesterday about the team’s final preparation and the atmosphere in the camp.
She said, “For the last 72 hours, we have had some mental and physical training both on and off the field of play. The girls are in high spirits and the atmosphere is pretty calm.
“Last evening, the team had their final training session at the DSCG and also to get themselves familiar with the new markings.”
In terms of topping the group, the Team Manager noted, “The girls are all confident, so we intend to take one game at a time.”