Mauritius seek improvement at COSAFA Under-17 Girls’ Championship

Hosts of the inaugural COSAFA Under-17 Girls’ Championship in 2019, Mauritius will be aiming to make it out of the group stage for the first time when the 2025 edition is played in Windhoek, Namibia from May 10-17.

They will be hoping to improve on their performance in last year’s competition in which they did not advance past the group stage after losses to Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia.

Coach Anielle Collet believes participation in the tournament will be a good opportunity for her players to be exposed to the international level of competition.

“This will contribute to the development of a clear player pathway as they get the opportunity to showcase their talent to youth level on the COSAFA stage. This furthermore gives them the opportunity to emerge at senior level,” she said.

Mauritius has nine players returning to the country’s Under-17 team from last year, including goalkeeper Cedrielle Begue and striker Daniella Route, who assisted the only goal scored by Mauritius in Johannesburg in December.

Collet is focused on the development and experience that the new members of her squad will receive.

“It will be a new experience for most of the players and it will a good opportunity for them to be exposed to the international level,” she said.

She believes that the tournament can inspire not only her players, but staff as well, stating it provides a platform to empower female coaches and managers.

“After this competition, I hope that the young players gain experience and knowledge about the level of the game in Southern Africa and continuous empowerment of the staff in our system.”

Currently in preparation for the tournament, Collet is putting her full focus on preparing for her sides group games against Zambia and Mozambique, specifically developing strategies to combat these sides.

Collet’s side conceded 10 goals against Zambia in the competition in December last year.

However, Collet emphasized the importance of mental fortitude, saying it is something she is aiming to instil in her players.

“We are making sure that the players have confidence in themselves and play a good game. Mentally we should be strong; feet, legs and arms are only tools.”

Mauritius have been drawn in Group B at the tournament along with defending champions Zambia and Mozambique.

 

MAURITIUS
Tournament finishes:
2019 – Group Stages
2020 – Did not enter
2021 – Did not enter
2022 – Did not enter
2023 – Not played
2024 – Group Stages

All-time match record:
P6 W1 D0 L5 GF6 GA38

Biggest victory: 5-1 vs Comoros (Group Stage, 20/09/2019)
Biggest defeat: 0-11 vs Uganda (Group Stage, 22/09/2019)

ALL-TIME GOALSCORERS
2 goals – Jerusha Ramasawmy
1 – Marie Clair, Eva Pierrot, Marie Quirin, Marie Verloppe