1 month ago
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CLOSING OUT the regular season atop the league standings and with an enviable unbeaten record, defending champions Frazsiers Whip’s head coach Courtney Dowdie confidently declared they are ready to defend their Jamaica Women’s Premier League (JWPL) title.
After a 1-1 draw with Arnett Gardens in the previous game, Frazsiers Whip were back to their very best as they dispatched Mile Gully 11-0 on Saturday at the Excelsior High school field.
It was icing on the cake for the defending champions as they close out the regular season with a record of 19 wins and a draw.
Destiny Powell led the way with four goals (20th minute, 27th, 36th, and 61st), with Davia Richards contributing with a brace (41st, 45th).
Danishca Rattray (13th), Natoya Atkinson (16th), Nevillegail Able (43rd), and Shaniel Buckley (90th+1) added their names to the scoresheet as well.
Dowdie, speaking after the game, was a man beaming with pride and confidence, believing his players are ready to defend their JWPL crown.
“The next objective is to really have fun. Once the girls go out there and have fun, then we all play excellent football and I believe that once they can do that, then we can become victorious in defending our title.”
Frazsiers Whip had opened the contest with sheer attacking intent, racing to an eight-goal lead in the first half.
During the break, Dowdie would make a host of changes as his team added three more goals to their tally to see out the win.
He explained he was making the final adjustments before the semi-finals as he believed it was important to give as many players minutes on the field.
“I think it’s pretty good what we did today was that we brought on five players at half time, just to add to the rotation that we’re looking at. We need to have everybody playing and up to the standard,” he explained.
“I think it was really good today seeing the persons coming off the bench at half time and they made a difference.”
Frazsiers Whip’s near perfect run in the regular season was marred when they were held to a draw agains Arnett Gardens in match week 21.
Dowdie explained the fixture was a wake-up call for his players, who had squandered several opportunities throughout the match.
Now heading into the semi-finals, Dowdie is once again confident his players have found their shooting boots after putting 11 past Mile Gully.
“When you look back at the Arnett game, we had about 17 chances and we didn’t capitalise on those. So we went back to the drawing broad, did some sessions where we focused on finishing so it was really good today to see,” he said.
“To go unbeaten, it was really what I was looking for. We lost our win steak so it was a wake-up call and it reminded the girls of the fact that there is competition in the league so we have to be careful how we play.”
Frazsiers Whip will face Los Perfectos in the two-legged semi-finals while Arnett will take on Cavalier in their semi-final encounter.
The first leg is set for July 26 with the return leg set for August 2. Both games will be played at the Constant Spring Sports Complex.
English (US) ·