Girlz confidence boost after Costa Rica win

Andrew Price, the assistant coach of Jamaica's Senior Reggae Girlz, says Monday night's win over Costa Rica in the CONCACAF Women's Championships has boosted the morale of the team.

The Girlz beat the Central Americans 1-0 through Khadija Shaw at H-E-B Park in Texas and are now almost certain to qualify for the semi-final stage of the Championships as they only need to get past Cuba, a team they dominated at the Caribbean stage of the qualifiers in the summer.

"The win has really improved the morale of the team. After losing to Canada, this was a great response from the team. They knew that this was a must-win game and they gave all they had and fought gallantly. It really highlighted the character and determination of the team," Price said.

Price also attributes the victory to the fact that the team had the opportunity to play against the Costa Ricans at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia, in the summer.

"I believe having played them at the CAC Games assisted us in our preparation for them. We were of the opinion that we could match up with them and that our speed on the flanks would have been telling," Price said. "We defended stoutly and kudos must be given to our goalkeeper Sydney Schnieder, who really kept us in the game. It was an overall team effort. We are grounded and know that our work in not completed."

The team is scheduled to play Cuba tomorrow.