Carleton Ravens De Souza co-captains Guyanese national soccer team.

OTTAWA - Carleton University Ravens women’s soccer defenceman Briana De Souza has been selected as a co-captain of the Guyanese National Women’s Team that is competing in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers.

The Guyanese roster was announced earlier this year. Both Briana and her sister Kayla were among the list of athletes selected to represent the country. Their team is set to face Cuba tomorrow in the second leg of a playoff for the third and final Caribbean berth in the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup.

“It’s honestly something I could only dream about and it’s actually come true,” she said. “It’s a bonus that my sister made the team as well because we’ve been playing together for as long as I can remember and she definitely helps motivate me.”

Last summer, De Souza participated in a kickoff tournament in Turks and Caicos. The tournament was used as a launching pad to look at local Guyanese talent as well as overseas athletes of Guyanese decent before selecting an official squad for the World Cup qualifiers.

Following her stint in Turks and Caicos, De Souza was selected as co-captain of the national squad. In December, she was invited to Guyana to participate in a World Cup qualifying tournament held in Georgetown. Her trip was about much more than just soccer. Her family joined her on a journey that taught them about their Guyanese heritage, something De Souza said made her even prouder to represent the country.

“It was my first time visiting Guyana and I was so happy I was able to experience it with my family, especially my grandfather because Georgetown was where he was born and raised,” she said. “It was great to see where my grandfather lived, experience the culture and play soccer all in the same trip.”

During their time in Guyana, De Souza’s team donated a box of equipment, balls and tracksuits to the local team and the less fortunate as part of their effort to give all Guyanese women an equal opportunity to play.

De Souza said this experience made her and her teammates realize how fortunate they are and the opportunities they have.

Regardless of the outcome of their playoff with Cuba, the Guyanese team will travel to Puerto Rico on July 17 for the Central American and Caribbean Games, grouped with Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and Guatemala.

Source:

Carleton Sports Info