Though Jamaica’s young Reggae Girlz are in prime position to advance to the next round of the Concacaf Under-17 Women’s Qualifiers, head coach Marlon Hylton knows their task is far from finished until the final whistle in their top-of-the-table clash against host nation Nicaragua on Saturday.

Hylton, who expressed pleasure with his team’s performance in an emphatic 6-0 victory over St Kitts and Nevis in their opening game, remains focused on the decisive challenge ahead.

Kickoff is 7:00pm Jamaica time.

Jamaica currently leads Group E on goal difference, ahead of Nicaragua, who secured a 4-0 win over St Kitts and Nevis. With only the group winner to advance, the young Reggae Girlz need just a draw to cement their place in the next phase of the qualifiers later this year.

Hylton, while reflecting on their dominant start, commended his team’s execution and emphasized the importance of maintaining their composure and intensity heading into the high-stakes encounter.

“The team did tremendously well. Our expectations were met—we wanted to go into our final game being on top of the group on goal difference, and the girls achieved that,” he told SportsMax.Tv.

However, despite the comfortable victory, the coach believes there are areas that need refining, particularly in attack.

“I just think that we need to be a little bit more patient in the attacking third when in possession. We created a lot of chances, but we can be even sharper and more clinical in the final moments, so we are working on that,” Hylton shared.

With the Girlz brimming with confidence after their big win, Hylton knows the challenge now is to keep them grounded and avoid any complacency.

“We just have to keep reminding them of the objective and why we are here. The job is still not done. Winning one game is great, but we came here with a bigger purpose, and that requires full focus for the next 90 minutes,” he declared.

“As a coaching staff, we sat and watched their (Nicaragua’s) game against St Kitts and did our analysis. There are areas that can be exploited, and we remain confident that our girls can carry out their roles and functions come game time,” Hylton added.

While a draw would be enough for Jamaica to advance, Hylton has instilled a winning mentality in his players, and they won’t be settling for anything less than their best effort.

“We came to represent our nation, and we did half of the job already—now it's time to get the other half done. We have to be confident in our gameplay, and for sure, Jamaica will be in the final round,” he ended.