Newly appointed T&T women's football coach Dernelle Mascall selected 31 players for a live-in camp over the weekend as preparation for the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 qualifiers in Curacao intensifies.
She will have to produce some magic if her charges are to emerge from Group D with the qualifiers set to take place from April 15-23 at the Rignaal Jean Francisca Stadium in Willemstad.
Mascall, a former national women's player, was appointed the team's coach just a week ago and her charges will have to win the group to progress, along with the other group winners, to join the Confederation's (CONCACAF's) top teams–the United States and Mexico–in the CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship.
Apart from T&T, the other teams in the group are Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, Antigua and Barbuda and Guadeloupe.
Mascall's squad of 31 includes six overseas-based players and as many from Tobago. It also comprises nine players from the T&T Football Association's (TTFA) High-Performance Programme (HPP).
Her preparation was boosted by three practice matches against visiting US outfit St Catherine’s University.
Mascall coached men's football outfit Moruga FC without success in terms of top placement at the Ascension Football League in 2021 but gained valuable experience at top-flight football in T&T. She told the TTFA media recently that the camp will be a good opportunity for her to assess the players.
She said: "It’s a good opportunity to assess the players available to vie for selection during this weekend's camp. Six of the nine foreign-based players are with us. We are really grateful for this camp as well as the three practice matches as it will serve as a good measuring tool for the staff.
“We have the girls from the High-Performance programme who are excited to play as they bring that youthful energy and passion to the setup. They have also been engaged in a consistent training programme over the past few months with the coaches at the HPP. There are also players from Tobago with the experience of playing in the last CFU (Caribbean Football Union) U-14 Invitational and they are also very eager to be part of the squad for the CONCACAF championship. The inclusion of Marley Walker is also a boost as she comes with a wealth of experience,” Mascall noted.
Walker is a sophomore at James Island Charter High School in the US. She has been a member of the developmental programme for the TTFA and played for T&T in the CONCACAF Women U-20 Championships in the Dominican Republic, last year.
“We have the quality and passion and hopefully this camp will help to develop the cohesiveness in time for the tournament in April,” said Mascall.
The 2023 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship is scheduled to take place from May 24-June 3, 2023 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The eight-team competition will qualify its top three finishers for next year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
The competition, which will be the first to feature the Confederation’s recently launched exciting new youth competitions format, is scheduled to be played April 14-23 across four venues in the Caribbean and Central America.
The official draw took place on February 16 and 32 participating teams were split into six groups (two groups of six teams and four groups of five teams each).
TT SQUAD
Sadiel Antoine (gk), Rasheda Archer, Jeniceia Benjamin, Angel Berot, Arie Bhagan, Trishelle Charles, Luann Craig, Kaitlyn Datwent, Alexandria Ennals, Jessica Jarragin, Orielle Martin, Kanika Rodriguez, Jada Sheppard, Cherina Steele, Mariah Williams, Tayeann Wylie, Mikalah Yearwood, J'Eleisha Alexander, Shadea Andrews, Shakira Charles, Carissa Cowan, Jada Graham, Shaunda Sheppard, Talia Martin, Amariah Ayum, Jhelysse Anthony, Rishana Sookraj, Nikita Jackson, Athena Jackson, Sophia Keel, Sonia Lamarre, Marley Walker, Cicely-Ann Spencer-Wickham.
Group A – April 14-22 at Estadio Panamericano, San Cristobal, Dominican Republic
Canada, El Salvador, Cuba, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Martinique and US Virgin Islands
Group B – April 14-22 at Rignaal Jean Francisca Stadium, Willemstad, Curaçao
Haiti, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Curacao, Sint Maarten, Bahamas
Group C – April 15-23 at Estadio Felix Sanchez, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic, Guyana, Suriname, Grenada, Dominica
Group D – April 15-23 at Rignaal Jean Francisca Stadium, Willemstad, Curaçao
Puerto Rico, T&T, Cayman Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe
Group E – April 14-22 at Estadio Nacional, Managua, Nicaragua
Jamaica, Honduras, Bermuda, Anguilla, French Guiana
Group F – April 15-23 at Estadio Nacional, Managua, Nicaragua
Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Saint Lucia, Belize