Luz Duarte (#20) scored two goals in Mexico's 10-0 win over Martinique in the CONCACAF Women's Championship game on October 18, 2014, at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. (Photo: Mexsport)
BRIDGEVIEW, Illinois – Mexico rebounded from a 1-0 setback to Costa Rica in its 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship opener with a resounding 10-0 win over Martinique on Saturday.
With the Costa Ricans already securing one of two semifinal spots out of Group B, the Tricolor is fixated on Tuesday’s decisive encounter in Washington, D.C. against Jamaica. Both sides are level on three points and, simply put, a win will earn either team a berth in the knockout phase. A loss means elimination from 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup contention.
“Our mentality is to do the best we can and take the win,” said Mexico’s Luz Duarte, who netted twice in the victory over Martinique. “We ought to play our hearts out for our country. “Our confidence is going up with this result, plus we have a lot of support. We know we can do it. We are going to give it our all because we need a win.”
Goalkeeper Pamela Tajonar faced only two shots in posting a shutout against the Caribbean side at Toyota Park. She expects Mexico to deliver the goods once again.
“We know that it is very important,” said Tajonar. “We’re playing for everything there and, despite having a better goal difference, we are going out to win and hope for a good performance from the team.”
Duarte stressed that bouncing back from the loss to Costa Rica in the way they did was critically important.
“It was a tough game, but it was a good win,” expressed the 19-year-old forward. “The 10 goals reflect all the work that the team has done and we’re showing it on the field. We had a slow start against Costa Rica, but now we’re coming on strong.”
If preparation is indeed the key to victory, Tajonar is looking forward to even more of it prior to the showdown with Jamaica at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium.
“Now we must prepare for Jamaica to be able to advance,” she finished. “This match (against Martinique) is a good sign for the group to let itself go and enter with the best strength for Jamaica.”
