Panama City, Thursday March 1, 2012.– Natalia Gomez-Junco and Chrystal Martinez scored once each and assisted on the other's goal, staking Mexico to a two-goal lead just before halftime and leading El Tri to a 3-1 victory over Jamaica Thursday in the opening game for both at the CONCACAF Under-20 Women's Championship.
The victory was the fourth in five meetings against Jamaica at the CONCACAF finals for Mexico, which also never lost to the Caribbean islanders.
The loss was a fourth straight for Jamaica, making its sixth appearance in the confederation championship.
With the score 1-1, Gomez-Junco put Mexico ahead in the 39th, running onto Martinez's long ball from near midfield and volleying with her right foot from eight meters inside the right post.
Gomez-Junco returned the favor less than five minutes later, lofting a cross to the back post where Martinez looped a header from the corner of the goal box over the head of Jamaica keeper Taylor Grant.
With conditions at kickoff of 82 degrees Fahrenheit (26 Celsius) and 74 percent humidity, Mexico started quickly and jumped ahead in the sixth minute when a countering Tanya Samarzich turned inside of Jamaican defender Renee Freeman and unleashed a 30-meter, left-footed strike that sailed past Grant.
Mexico nearly doubled its lead in the 10th minute when Grant let Martinez's cross slip through her hands, but Shanyce Shaw cleared the ball off the Jamaican line.
Jamaica capitalized five minutes later. An umbarked Kimberly Spence settled Nugene Nugent's long ball from midfield just inside the Mexican 18, took a touch and easily beat keeper Cecilia Santiago.
The goal ended Jamaica's three-game goalless streak at the CONCACAF finals. It lost all three matches at the 2010 championship by a combined 9-0. However, it won four of five Caribbean qualifying matches for the 2012 finals by a combined 12-0.
Mexico controlled the rest of the way, with Jamaica only occasionally mounting a threat.
The teams will play again on Saturday, with Mexico facing Haiti and Jamaica opposing Canada.
Canada beat Haiti 5-0 earlier Thursday in the tournament opener.
*With information from CONCACAF
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