Eastern Michigan Athletics
Ashley Rodrigues
Rodrigues Adds to International Success; Sparks Guyana to Victory
7/12/2010 12:51:48 PM | Soccer
Former EMU standout, Ashley Rodrigues, led Guyana to a 3-1 victory past Cuba to advance the Lady Jags to the Gold Cup
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Former EMU women's soccer standout and current Guyana National Team Captain, Ashley Rodrigues, is trying to help Guyana reach the Women's World Cup for the first time in the program's short history. They now remain just one step away from that coveted goal.
Recently, the Lady Jaguars embarked on their final qualifying round for a chance at making the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup which features teams throughout North and Central America also vying for a berth at the 2011 World Cup. In order to get there, Guyana needed to defeat Cuba in a two-match qualifier determined by the aggregate score of both games.
After dropping the first leg of the qualifier in Havana, Cuba, 1-0, on June 26, the Lady Jags returned home to their native Capital of Georgetown, Guyana for the final tilt on July 3. Down, 1-nil, and facing exclusion from the Gold Cup, it was Rodrigues who sparked a comeback for the ages.
“The girls had their heads down at first, but when that first goal went in everyone turned it around,” Rodrigues said. “It was do-or-die after that and we didn't want to go home yet.”
The former MAC Player of the Year, and subject of a recent feature story on emueagles.com, scored her fourth goal in seven games and rallied her squad to score three unanswered goals to win, 3-1, over Cuba and, 3-2, in the aggregate to qualify for the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup for the first time.
“The Gold Cup seemed like a tall order for a team just starting out, but it's amazing to see how far we've come,” Rodrigues said. “Our confidence is high going into the tournament. We have nothing to lose and we're up to the challenge.”
Guyana will join fellow Caribbean qualifiers Haiti and Trinidad & Tobago, Central American sides Guatemala and Costa Rica, and North American teams Canada, Mexico and the United States in the Women's Gold Cup, set for late October and early November.
Recently, the Lady Jaguars embarked on their final qualifying round for a chance at making the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup which features teams throughout North and Central America also vying for a berth at the 2011 World Cup. In order to get there, Guyana needed to defeat Cuba in a two-match qualifier determined by the aggregate score of both games.
After dropping the first leg of the qualifier in Havana, Cuba, 1-0, on June 26, the Lady Jags returned home to their native Capital of Georgetown, Guyana for the final tilt on July 3. Down, 1-nil, and facing exclusion from the Gold Cup, it was Rodrigues who sparked a comeback for the ages.
“The girls had their heads down at first, but when that first goal went in everyone turned it around,” Rodrigues said. “It was do-or-die after that and we didn't want to go home yet.”
The former MAC Player of the Year, and subject of a recent feature story on emueagles.com, scored her fourth goal in seven games and rallied her squad to score three unanswered goals to win, 3-1, over Cuba and, 3-2, in the aggregate to qualify for the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup for the first time.
“The Gold Cup seemed like a tall order for a team just starting out, but it's amazing to see how far we've come,” Rodrigues said. “Our confidence is high going into the tournament. We have nothing to lose and we're up to the challenge.”
Guyana will join fellow Caribbean qualifiers Haiti and Trinidad & Tobago, Central American sides Guatemala and Costa Rica, and North American teams Canada, Mexico and the United States in the Women's Gold Cup, set for late October and early November.
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