Kalyssa Van Zanten's goal in extra-time strike earned Jamaica's Reggae Girlz a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica to secure third place in the CONCACAF Women’s Championships in Mexico on Monday night.
The win earned Jamaica's women the right to play for a spot at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. However, to do so they will have to defeat the loser of the USA/Canada match scheduled for later Monday night. That match will be played in 2023.
In a game of end-to-end action, the evenly matched teams battled to an exciting 0-0 draw in regulation. Jamaica had 15 shots at goal, three of them on target while Costa Rica had 16 shots with four on target. A well-organized Jamaica enjoyed a marginal edge in possession – 51 to 49 per cent – but could not make it count in regulation. Jamaica enjoyed a bit of fortune in stoppage time when Rocky Rodriguez hit the post, the ball rebounding across the face of the goal with Rebecca Spencer well beaten.
However, the Notre Dame attacking player, who came into the game as a substitute in the 99th minute, would break the deadlock in the 102nd minute. She latched onto a defence-splitting pass into the box from Drew Spence and placed it over Daniela Solera and inside the far post, setting off wild celebrations.