SANTO DOMINGO, D.R. – During the offseason, Notre Dame College women's soccer players Maridza Desir and Savannah Singh received opportunities to showcase their skills on the international stage, by representing Haiti and Guyana, respectively, in the Under-20 Women's World Cup Qualifiers.
 
Singh, a native of Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, was contacted in March by a Caribbean recruiter due to her father's Guyanese descent. Upon showing interest in representing her father's home country, the process moved quickly as the Guyana Federation added the outside back to their roster and starting lineup. Following a short and intense four-day training camp on April 10 in the Dominican Republic, the competition was set to begin.
 
"It was such a quick process to make the team and the Guyana coaches were really great," stated Singh. "We did not have much down time as it was a short and intensive pre-camp. Even when the competition started, every day was fully scheduled, I really enjoyed it but there was not much sit seeing. A lot of training, playing and recovery."
 
Singh and the U-20 Guyanese National Team touted an impressive 2-0-1 record during the group stage. The St. John Henry Newman High School product started in all three matches, totaling 90 minutes played during Guyana's 6-0 opening win over Suriname. Next, Singh tallied 70 minutes played as Guyana took down Dominica 10-0. In the third game, Singh logged all 90 minutes as Guyana and the Dominican Republic dueled to a 0-0 draw, with the DR moving forward on goal differential. 
 
"I would love to do it again," exclaimed Singh. "It was an amazing experience! It really gave me a good view of what it looks like on the professional soccer stage."
 
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Desir and the U-20 Haitian National Team were unable to compete in this year's CONCACAF Qualifiers.
 
Haiti and Guyana compete as members of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), which is comprised of 41 total teams. As of Aug. 2022, Haiti was the fourth ranked team in the region, while Guyana is 12^th.
 
The CONCACAF Under-20 Women's Championship is an official competition of the Confederation that crowns a champion and qualifies three teams to the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. First, teams must win the group stage during the CONCACAF Qualifiers, before advancing into the CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship. From there, the top three nations in the CONCACAF region will qualify for the Under-20 Women's World Cup.