Florida Krush players, Shayla Smart (U16 Krush Black), and Erin Mikalsen (U17 Krush Black) recently competed in the CONCACAF Championship held in Grenada from March 3-13. All three games were televised live on Fox Sports. Both Shayla and Erin represented Jamaica’s U17 National team. The team was coached by Lorne Donaldson, who also serves as the Executive Director of coaching and President of Real Colorado. The young Jamaican team were placed in a very difficult group with powerhouses Mexico, United States and Costa Rica.
Both players started all three contests and played significant minutes in an attempt to earn a spot in the U17 Women’s World Cup to be held in Jordan later this year.
Erin played stellar defense as left back and helped stabilize a young defensive line. Shayla played up top wide and was a presence in the attack for all three contests. She notched an equalizing goal against the United States in the first game of pool play.
The Reggae Girlz, as they are commonly referred to, would lose all three contests, 8-1 to the USA, 3-2 to Costa Rica, and 1-0 to Mexico. However, the experience provided both players with high level competition on the International stage against very strong competition.
They now turn their focus to the remainder of their club season and several highly competitive showcase events as well as state cup. Erin is undecided about her college choice, but is currently considering several schools. Shayla recently committed to Wake Forest University earlier this year.
