Back-to-back wins for the Soca Warriors

May 16, 2024 Sports

Guyana’s Darron Niles and T&T’s Duane Muckette battling for the ball during their International Friendly at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

By Rawle Toney

Kaieteur Sports – The Golden Jaguars concluded their two-match friendly series against the Soca Warriors with a 2-0 loss last evening at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

The first half saw both teams locked in a stalemate, but in the 53rd minute, Michel Poon-Angeron, the AC Port of Spain midfielder, broke the deadlock, putting Trinidad and Tobago ahead 1-0.

Kevon ‘Showtime’ Woodley sealed the victory for the Soca Warriors with a goal in the 77th minute, having also scored in Monday’s 2-1 win for the home side.

Jamaal Shabazz, head coach of the Golden Jaguars, started with Jamine Cumberbatch in goal, Quincy Adams, Leo Lovell, Darron Niles, Curtez Kellman, Kelsey Benjamin, Daniel Wilson (Captain), Nicholai Smith, Terique Mohammed, Anthony Smith, and Kevin Layne.

While both teams created chances of their own, Benjamin and Niles failed to capitalize on their opportunities to give Guyana the upper hand in the first half.

Soca Warriors Captain, Justin Garcia, being pressed by Guyana’s Anthony Smith.

In the second half, Shabazz implemented some changes that showed promise, but Poon-Angeron and Woodley had different plans on the opposite end.

Marcus Tudor, the leading scorer of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Elite League, injected some energy into Shabazz’s attack after replacing Benjamin in the second half.

However, the Soca Warriors’ defence quickly adjusted to contain the agile forward, who scored 12 goals in nine matches for Slingerz FC in the Elite League.

Since their 2-1 loss to Guyana on November 11, 2011, at the Guyana National Stadium, the Soca Warriors have won four of their seven encounters with the Golden Jaguars, with three matches ending in a 1-1 draw.

The two friendly matches served as part of the two side’s preparation for their FIFA World Cup Qualifiers campaign.

Guyana will begin their quest to the 2026 World Cup on June 6 against Panama in Panama City, while the Soca Warriors will host Grenada on June 5.

Curtez Kellman, Golden Jaguars, Kelsey Benjamin, Quincy Adams, Rawle Toney, Soca Warriors

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