_{Photo: Belize Baby Jaguars U15 Female National Team}

by William Ysaguirre

ARIMA, Trinidad, Fri. Aug. 9, 2024

The Belize Baby Jaguars girls enjoyed their 2nd win, 2-1, over Suriname in their 4th outing in the playoffs at the CONCACAF Under-15 Female Championships at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Arima, Trinidad on Friday, August 9.

Shanalee Smith’s brace gave the Jaguars a 2-0 lead up to the half, before Suriname scored a consolation goal after the break. The win gave Belize a 9th ranking in the B-League standings.

The Baby Jaguars had enjoyed their 1st win, 3-2, over Barbados last Thursday, after their 5-1 loss to Honduras on Monday, and a 1-0 loss to Cuba on Tuesday. Belize ranked 3rd in their Group-E of the B-League, while Honduras won the group and went on to win the B-League championship final, 1-0, over the Dominican Republic, after eliminating Guatemala, 2-0, in the B-League semifinals. The Dominican Republic eliminated Trinidad & Tobago, 1-0, in the other semifinal; and Trinidad won 3rd place with a 3-0 victory over Guatemala, who finished in 4th place.

In the A-League, the USA won the championship final, 3-0, over Mexico, after advancing by a 4-2 win in penalties over Canada in the semifinals. Mexico took 2nd place, after they had advanced to the finals by a 3-2 win over Costa Rica in the semifinals. Canada won the 3rd place match, 2-1, over Costa Rica, who settled for 4th.

In the C-League, Aruba won the championship final, 2-1, over St. Lucia; and Guadeloupe won the 3rd place match, 7-6, in penalties over the Turks & Caicos Islands.

 (AMANDALA Ed. Note: Importantly, by taking 3rd place in their 4-member Group-E (along with Honduras, Cuba and Barbados), Belize secured its membership in League-B and avoided relegation to League-C. Meanwhile, League-C winner Aruba should advance to League-B, and League-B champion Honduras will advance to League-A.)