Mexico thumped Martinique, 10-0 on Saturday. (Getty Images)
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — Mexico scored early and often on Saturday, thumping Martinique 10-0 to earn a potential tiebreaker advantage over Jamaica heading into the final day of group play at the CONCACAF Women’s Championship.
Mexico now sits level on points (3) with Jamaica for second in Group B, but Mexico holds a better goal difference (plus-8 vs. plus-5). The two teams play each other on Tuesday in search of the second berth to the semifinals of the region’s World Cup qualifying event. Costa Rica beat both teams to clinch the other spot in next week’s semifinals, where three teams will qualify directly for the 2015 World Cup. The fourth-place finisher will play Ecuador in a two-leg playoff.
Luz Duarte and Monica Ocampo led the way for Mexico on Saturday with two goals apiece.
Tanya Samarzich opened the scoring for Mexico in the 6th minute. The two-time U-20 World Cup participant scored the first of five first-half goals for Mexico, all of which came off crosses or corner kicks from the right side.
Although most of the goals came easily for Mexico, Duarte scored on a skillful chip in the 49th minute, and Teresa Noyola finished the scoring in second-half stoppage time on a screaming 25-yard shot that found the upper corner to make it 10-0.
“We know what we have to do and that’s how we came out in this game,” Noyola told Fox Sports after the match. “We knew that we needed to put goals on the board.”
CONCACAF credited Martinique with three shots, to Mexico’s 32. It was a long night for Martinique goalkeeper Cathy Bellune, who from the first goal conceded was seen clutching her right rib cage in pain every time she went to ground.
Martinique lost 6-0 to Jamaica on Thursday in each team’s opening match. Jamaica lost to Costa Rica, 2-1 on Saturday.
