Jailene DeJesus and Puerto Rico qualify for Concacaf W Gold Cup

Wyomissing, Pa. native Jailene DeJesus is heading to the Concacaf W Gold Cup after helping lead Puerto Rico to a 1-0 win over Haiti in a prelimary match on Saturday night in California.

DeJesus, a junior at St. John’s University and a former standout at FC Revolution and Wilson High School, started in the midfield and played the full 90 minutes of the match. The lone goal of the match came in the 41st minute when Jillienne Aguilera converted from the spot after the referee called for a penalty for a foul on Danielle Julia Marcano in the box.

Haiti had a chance to tie the game in the 76th minute with a penalty kick of their own but Sydney Martinez made a big diving save to her left to preserve the clean sheet.

With the win, Puerto Rico advance to Group B to face Brazil, Colombia and Panama. Puerto Rico open versus Brazil on Wednesday evening at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.

DeJesus wasn’t the only local player at the qualifying event. La Salle midfielder Elizabeth Estrada was on Guatemala’s team that fell 3-1 to El Salvador. Estrada, an FC Revolution and Wilson High School teammate of DeJesus, started and played 54 minutes for Guatemala.