By Neto Baptiste
A brace by striker Gabrielle DeSuza propelled Antigua and Barbuda to an exciting 2-1 victory over Guyana in League B, Group A of their Concacaf Road to W Gold Cup opener here at the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) technical centre on Wednesday.
DeSuza put the Benna Girls ahead on minute 13 from close range to send Antigua and Barbuda into the interval with a one-nil advantage.
However, DeSuza was not quite done as she increased the home team’s advantage in minute 51 when she swung the ball into the far left corner of the opponent’s goal from just inside the 18 yards box after weaving her way into the penalty area.
Brianne Desa scored the lone goal for Guyana when she struck from the penalty area I minute 62.
Head coach Astel Joseph was in a celebratory spirit after the win.
“At any stage of any competition, a win is welcomed and we are extremely happy to have gained this win in the first game to set us up for the next game. Room for improvement of course, because nothing is perfect. Defensively, we can do a lot better. Although, we only conceded one from the penalty spot tonight, we could do a lot better in terms of closing down shots and stuff like that. Out communication wasn’t bad, we worked on it a lot and we stuck to the game plan. Our girls did us proud and we’re really proud of them for the hard work they’ve put in and we look forward to the next games coming up,” he said.
Antigua and Barbuda are level with Suriname on three points after just one showing each but Suriname occupies the top spot because of a better goal difference.
The Benna Girls will next face Suriname on September 24 in Suriname before playing host to Dominica on October 25.