There is no doubt that members of the historic Reggae Girlz squad to the recently concluded Fifa Women’s World Cup in France garnered much from that experience and now carry a lot of weight among their younger peers.

The likes of Sashana “Pete” Campbell, Sydney Schneider, Deneisha Blackwood and late addition Lauren Silver, will be expected to lead from the front and assert themselves at the July 26 to August 11 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

Those players, along with the wily Mireya Grey, Jody Brown, Toriana Patterson, and Chantelle Swaby, are among the 18-member unit that Head coach Hue Menzies has put a lot of belief in to deliver on a consistent basis in the hunt for a podium finish.

In the absence of customary leader Konya Plummer, standout goalkeeper Schneider and utility player Campbell have been assigned co-captain roles by Menzies for the challenge to come against Mexico, Paraguay, and Colombia in Group A at the Estadio Universidad.

The Girlz will open their account against Mexico on Sunday, followed by a clash with Colombia next Wednesday before closing the group fixtures against Paraguay on August 3.

Panama, Costa Rica, Argentina, and host Peru will contest Group B.

Schneider, 19, has been holding fairly decent form since the Concacaf Under-20 Championships in Trinidad and Tobago last year January and is once again hoping to lay a solid foundation as the team’s last line of defence.

“I am hoping to continue doing my best and I think we will do well because we’re definitely ready to represent Jamaica and perform well. We are obviously going in with the mindset that we’re going to win, we are here to play, we are here to progress and get better. So that’s what we need to do,” Schneider reasoned.

Despite having the World Cup experience under their belt and familiarity with two of their opponents, Schneider is well aware that the task at hand will by no means be easier in the push for a medal on debut.

“Being on the biggest stage and going against some of the best teams in the world obviously gives us really good experience, we had to push ourselves then on the biggest stage and we have to continue doing the same thing now.

“So each time we have camps and play games we are able to mesh well, we have this time and opportunity to not only become a team but become a family and it would be incredible to make more history, so we are just going to keep going with it,” the outstanding goaltender noted.

For Campbell, 28, who plies her trade for Israeli club Maccabi Kishronot Hadera FC, the Pan Am Games is a part of the build-up and preparation to their next big objective which will be to get to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

They are set to kick off Olympic qualifiers later this year.

“We have so far been settling well since arriving. I think the team we have going into the tournament is a fairly good blend and we have a few more days before our first game to get some work done and bond together, and I think we have what it takes to get some good results.

“As one of the most experienced players in the team and co-captain, I am definitely aiming to work really hard and do my best to help the team get some success and I know that the other experienced players will also give their best efforts. Once we are able to do that and motivate the younger players we can move forward,” Campbell told the Jamaica Observer from the team’s base in Peru.

“However, we are expecting the teams in our group to be tough, but we are going to give it our best effort. So we are just really looking forward to it, as we continue to grow as a team heading into future tournaments,” she added.

Meanwhile, left-back Deneisha Blackwood is also hoping to come to the fore for the team at key moments, especially with this being a fairly new defensive line with the absence of Plummer and Allyson Swaby.

“As you know, I’ve been around Konya for a very long time and I learned a lot from her which will help me going into this tournament. As one of the experienced defenders, the others look up to me and so the only thing I need to do is play hard so they know that this is no joke.

“So I feel like by me just leading on the field, in training, and stuff like that, they will understand that we have a big task on our hand,” the 22-year-old told the Observer.

“I think we get better in training every day and so it has been a really good start for the team so far, and I am confident. We have been working really hard, and I think we can do well at the games,” Blackwood ended.

Squad — Sydney Schneider, Yazmeen Jamieson, Deneisha Blackwood, Jody Brown, Olufolasade Adamolekun, Jadyn Matthews, Sashana Campbell, Tarania Clarke, Chyanne Dennis, Madiya Harriott, Jayda Pelaia-Hylton, Mireya Grey, Toriana Patterson, Chanel Hudson-Marks, Chantelle Swaby, Shayla Smart, Lauren Silver, Rachel Smith.