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Guyana upstage Brazil to finish 5th at Jr Pan Am Hockey C/Chip
– Coach proud of team’s historic performance
By Rawle Toney
Kaieteur News – While falling short of hoisting the coveted title and qualifying for the 2023 FIH Hockey Junior World Cup, Guyana’s men’s team finished 5th at the Junior Pan Am Hockey Championships in Barbados.
It was Guyana’s highest placing at the tournament that started in 1978. The country’s previous best-finish was at the 1988 edition in Trinidad and Tobago, finishing sixth.
“I thought the team showed great improvement from where we started to where we ended the tournament,” Coach Robert Fernandes told Kaieteur News after the team’s final game against Brazil, where the Guyanese men managed to secure a 3 – 2 victory via a penalty shootout.
Playing at Wildey Hockey Centre, Shaquon Favorite (26′) and Warren Williams Jr (34′) scored for Guyana, while Lucas Varela (28′) and Luiz Santoro (33′) netted for Brazil, forcing the game down to penalty to decide the winner.
Oshazay Savory showing off his acrobatic skills following Guyana’s historic win over Brazil at the Jr Pan Am Hockey Championship.
Williams, Oshazay Savory and Samuel Woodroffe penetrated the Brazilian keeper in the penalty shootout to seal an emphatic and historic victory for the Guyanese men.
It was the Guyanese men’s second victory, defeating Barbados 1 – 0 (goal by Shaquon Favorite) in the group stage to earn the country’s first win at the Championships since 1992.
Guyana conceded 11 goals in the tournament while scoring three. For context, it was the least amount goals conceded by Guyana since their first participation in 1988.
“I think if we had played the US, how we played today probably have been a lot closer,” Coach Fernandes said, reflecting on his side’s opening game of the championship against the Americans, where they fell 0-3.
Warren Williams Jr in full celebration mode after scoring against Brazil.
Guyana was the only team at the tournament, both male and female, that doesn’t have turf hockey, with the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) being forced to use the Guyana National Stadium.
International Hockey is not played on grass, as Coach Fernandes stated, “The frustration has been that we adapted the turf late in the tournament, but most of the time we’ve already lost important group matches which would have gotten us out of the group or so on.”
“I think we showed that we can compete with these teams. I think very lacking in two main areas, which is exposure to constant international matches that are played at this high level of intensity, they need to get this experience over-and-over again so that it becomes their new normal,” Fernandes said.
He added, “I think playing consistently on the surface and the speed and intensity that is required to play on the surface I think is important. Can’t be replicated on any other surface. A simple thing like shifting from one side to the next when the other team transfers the ball; on the grass, you have so much more time to do it here. It’s like lightning. You got to be sprinting across to the other side of the field.”
Fernandes believes, “If we can get our facility and a little more international exposure, I think we close the gap because you can see here we can match them physically, and we have the skills. The players were up to the task.”
Meanwhile, Guyana’s women’s team will be in action today against Uruguay at 9:45 am, playing for the 5th and 6th positions.
Argentina stopped Canada 6-1 to win the tournament for the 12th time. Since the tournament started in 1978, Argentina held every title except the 2021 edition, where they lost to Chile in the finals.
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