Jamaica (1W-1D-1L, 4 points, GD-2) kept alive its hopes of advancing to the 2015 CONCACAF Under-20 Women’s Championship semifinals with an impressive 6-1 win over Trinidad & Tobago (0W-0D-3L, 0 points) on Tuesday at the Escuela Internacional Sampedrana.
Later, first-place Canada (2W-0D-0L, 6 points) and host Honduras (1W-1D-0L, 4 points, GD+2) will meet in the last Group A game. The Hondurans need only a draw to secure a semifinal place, but a loss – depending on the final result – could open the door for the Jamaicans to progress on a tiebreaker.
Shaw opened the scoring in the eighth minute with her third goal of the tournament, doing well to head Shanhaine Nelson’s right-sided corner kick into the back of the net at an awkward angle from eight-yards out.
Jamaica’s lead was doubled in the 22nd minute, when Shaw played Nelson-Lawes in all alone with a delightful through ball on the ground. The Canada-based forward went one-on-one with Trinidad goalkeeper Rebecca Almandoz and beat her with a low effort.
Nine minutes, later, Leander got Trinidad on the board. After her initial pass towards the middle was blocked, she jumped on the loose ball and first-timed a shot with the outside of her right foot from the edge of the 18-yard box that swerved away from goalkeeper Shanay Ricketts.
Nelson-Lawes struck again in the 34th minute, receiving a pass from Hudson-Marks to enter the right side of the box and place a right-footer into the lower-left corner.
Just seconds into the second half, she registered her third after bursting into the left side of the area and knocking in the rebound of her initial shot that was saved by Almandoz.
In the 56th minute, the busy Almandoz blocked an attempt by Dominique Bond-Flasza, only for the instinctive Hudson-Marks to be positioned in front of the net to tap-in the rebound.
Nelson-Lawes’ record-equaling day was completed with three minutes remaining in normal time as she bounced a header past a scrambling Almandoz off a right-sided cross by Jessica Johnson.
Teams
Trinidad and Tobago: 1.Rebecca Almandoz; 2.Shaunalee Govia, 3.Renee Mike (capt), 4.Sawsha Woznuk, 5.Amaya Ellis, 8.Shanelle Arjoon (14.Chevonne John 46th - Yellow 67), 18.Naomie Guerra (6.Kelsey Henry 54th), 19.Ranae Ward, 20.Laurelle Theodore, 10.Tsaianne Leander, 9.Raenah Campbell (13.Chelsea Frederick 68th).
Unused substitutes: 12.Nicolette Craig (GK), 11.Celeste Thomas, 16.Tonya Richards, 7.Maya Matouk, 15.Paul Shenieka, 17.Kedie Johnson,
Coach: Jason Spence.
Jamaica: 13.Shanay Ricketts; 5.Konya Plummer, 12.Shanhaine Nelson, 16.Dominique Bond-Flasa, 4.Rachel Walters, 11.Khadija Shaw (8.Sherice Clarke - Yellow), 15.Asheina Nelson (17.Lacey Murray), 18.Jorja Hughes, 6.Oshay Nelson-Lawes, 10.Jessica Johnson, 14.Deneisha Blackwood.
Coach: Hue Menzies.