National Under-17 striker, Jo-Marie Lewis was given the nod to join the Under-20 women’s team, as 27 players, 14-local based and 13 foreign based, entered a live-in camp yesterday. The camp is in preparation for the Concacaf U-20 Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament to be held in Guatemala from January 19 to 30 in which T&T has been drawn in the ‘Group of Death’ alongside USA, Mexico and Jamaica. The nine-day camp will break for Christmas on December 23 and resumefour days later.
The team kicked off preparations yesterday with a gym session in the morning and a late evening field session at the Marvin lee Stadium in Macoya. The squad includes two newcomers—foreign-based striker, Shanelle Warrick and Philadelphia-based winger, Natasha Prentice. Warrick along with several other foreign-based players is expected to join the camp over the weekend. Also in the squad are members of the team which finished first in the recent Caribbean Football Union Tournament, including midfielder Kareena Seaton and defender Latifah Kelly, Arin King and Taylor Mims, all of whom are expected to join the squad for the camp after Christmas.
Notable absentees are local based U-17 players Kayla Tayla, Camile Borneo and Linfah Jones, the trio having been given a rest from the camp. They will rejoin the team on December 27. Also missing from the list is England-based striker, Karissa Rodney, who was joint topscorer in the CFU Tournament with Shade. Staff members revealed that Rodney was unable to get time off from school to play in the January tournament. Local based players include skipper Mariah Shade, who is still recovering from a hamstring injury, and energetic striker Natasha St Louis, along with Tobagonian sisters Kimika and Karyn ‘Baby’ Forbes.
T&T U-20 SQUAD
Goalkeepers:
Kimika Forbes, Shantel Roberts, Linfa Jones
Defenders:
Felina Jack, Tiana Bateau, Rhea Belgrave, Latifah Kelly, Stephanie Reid, Stephanie Beam, Arin King, Taylor Mims
Midfield:
Jenelle Kissoon, Renel Dennis, Kayla Taylor, Natasha Prentice, Karyn Forbes, Iyesha Olivierre, Camile Pereira, Afiya Matthias, Cassie Mckensie, Kareena Seaton
Strikers:
Stacy Paul, Moriah Shade, Natasha St. Louis, Candace Seaton, Jo Marie Lewis.