St Augustine, El Do to contest East final.
By: Kern De Freitas (Express).[/size]
St Augustine Senior Comprehensive will contest yet another RBTT InterCol East Zone final after a 2-0 extra-time victory over Arima Senior Comprehensive, while zonal champions San Juan Secondary Comprehensive suffered a shock 3-0 defeat to El Dorado Secondary Comprehensive in the second semi-final at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar yesterday.
Again, the Green Machine had to turn to national youth player Daniel Joseph, who sat on the bench for 54 minutes before handing them both goals just when a spot kick shootout loomed. Arima's Dial Dynamos should have used their one-man advantage after St Augustine's Jevaughn Vance was sent off for profane language in the 37th minute. Instead they were the ones on the defensive for most of the encounter.
The fact that they went 103 minutes before conceding was more due to the excellent efforts of Arima goalie Joseph Craig whose prowess gave his team a fighting chance more than their defensive strategy, but he could only do so much. St Augustine started the match with a few of their best players on the bench, including Joseph and Brandon Rupert.
For the first 25 minutes Arima threatened to take the lead but their marksmanship was found lacking.
St Augustine keeper Joel Johnson denied Kendes Garcia and then Nicholas Armstrong fired between Johnson's arms. The Green Machine also had some close efforts hit wide and neither team could break the deadlock before half time.
With St Augustine down to ten men, coach Michael Grayson swapped defender Andrew Petit for Joseph, who did not seem 100 per cent, perhaps coming off an injury, yet he put some pep into his team's attack.
Craig forced a close-range shot from the tricky striker wide, then spectacularly pushed a curling Joseph free kick destined for the near "vee" over-bar.
Green Machine midfielder Kendall Campbell twice missed the target and Joseph was brilliantly kept out by the keeper's foot in the 80th as regulation time ended with a 0-0 score-line.
Finally, after Joseph and Rupert were denied from close range by Craig, the former found a way to beat him with a low shot in the 14th minute of extra time. Two minutes later, Craig finished second in a race with Joseph for the ball and could only watch the sphere hit the back of his net, ending a brave battle by Arima.
Yesterday's RBTT InterCol Results:
East Zone[/b]
St Augustine 2 vs Arima 0
San Juan 0 vs El Dorado 3
'El Do' shocks San Juan; Champs booted out.
By: Sheldon Wood (schoolsoccernet).[/size]
In the 2007 RBTT Intercol competition, one thing is for certain. There will be a new champion crowned at the end, as defending champs San Juan were spectacularly dumped out of the competition by El Dorado Senior Comprehensive. Jamaal Gay put in a heroic display to engineer yet another major upset in the 2007 RBTT Intercol competition.
El Dorado lost both their league encounters against a San Juan team (2-1 & 3-0) fresh off of being crowned 2007 National League Champs. The Elijah Manners led team was clear favorites, but as has been stated many times before, Intercol is about who wants it more….and today it was El Dorado Senior Comprehensive.
The game started off at a breath taking pace, and San Juan should have had the early lead off of a corner, but Jamaal Spencer missed a simple tap in with the goal at his mercy.
Against the run of play Jamaal Gay latched onto a long clearance out of the ‘El Do’ half and beat past the San Juan right back, played an exquisite pass into the path of the oncoming Gerrard John Williams who showed San Juan how to finish by side footing the ball into the top right hand corner of the goal.
San Juan had a golden opportunity to equalize when they were awarded a penalty, but inexplicably Kareem Girod hit the resulting spot kick hard and wide of the left post.
El Dorado made San Jan pay dearly for the goal when Jamaal Gay volleyed a headed clearance into the bottom left hand corner of the San Juan goal, giving Glenroy Samuel no chance.
San Juan pushed forward looking for the goal to bring them back into the match, and they nearly got it as Neil Mitchell was played through, but could not beat the advancing Hakeem Blake in the El Dorado goal who spread himself well to close down the angle. At the half the score remained 2-0 in favor of El Dorado. The champions were staring elimination in the face.
San Juan started the second half on the offensive, looking for the early goal. Again the opportunities were created, but their finishing let them down.
El Dorado would eventually put the game on ice when Jamal Gay again went on one of his dizzying runs and carved his way into the San Juan midfield. With the defense closing in on him, Gay played an immaculate pass to an unmarked Keon Issac who faked goalkeeper Samuel and slotted home to ball to make it 3-0 and send the ‘El Do’ faithful into a frenzy.
Credit must be given to San Juan who still pushed forward, and should have at least got a consolation goal when Akil James lobbed goalkeeper Hakeem Blake, but was denied by the left post.
The final whistle soon sounded and the 2006 National Intercol Champions were out. There would be no sweep of trophies for Coach Keith Jeffery. El Dorado deserved the victory, and will face the defending East Zone Intercol Champions St. Augustine in the final on Saturday.
Speyside shock league champs.
By: Sheldon Wood (schoolsoccernet).[/size]
Upsets continued in the 2007 RBTT Intercol when Speyside defeated 2007 Tobago League Champs Mason Hall 5-4 on penalty kicks having been tied 1-1 after regulation and extra time. To say Mason Hall was the favorite in the matchup against Speyside is an understatement.
Speyside won only one game in the 2007 league, and lost both games in the meeting between the two teams by 6-2 and 7-1 scorelines. The magic that is RBTT Intercol football renders these statistics irrelevant, and Mason Hall paid dearly for their complacency.
Speyside scored first through a Jermaine Gray goal in the 13th minute, and Mason Hall equalized in the 65th minute courtesy Travis Winchester. After regulation and extra time, the scores remained deadlocked and it was down to penalty kicks to separate the two teams. In the end Speyside prevailed 5-4 in penalty kicks giving them an unlikely victory, and a place in the 2007 RBTT Tobago Intercol final against Scarborough on Wednesday at the Dwight Yorke Stadium.
Scarborough defeat Signal Hill 2-0
Scarborough Secondary eased past Signal Hill 2-0 to progress to the final of the 2007 RBTT Tobago Intercol final. Scarborough got their goals on either side of the half as Jarron Quashie (27th minute) and Scarborough leading goal scorer Andell Noray (51st minute) gave the Signal Hill defense a torrid time whole match.
With the victory, Scarborough goes into Wednesday’s final against Speyside as clear favorites. If their league results against Speyside (4-0 and 3-0) are anything to go by, Speyside are going to be in for a long night…but this is Intercol where past results doesn’t matter, but who wants it more…just ask Mason Hall.
