Carapichaima win Central InterCol.
By: Kern De Freitas (Express).[/size]
Missing a penalty kick can hardly be considered the end of the world. But a crucial injury time spot kick miss by Shalon Maynard meant the end of the 2007 schools football season for Chaguanas Senior Comprehensive, as the lost 2-1 to Central champs Carapichaima Senior Comprehensive in the RBTT InterCol Central Zone final yesterday.
Goals on either side of halftime by 2007 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) leading scorer, Jeffon "Shampoo" Cornwall and Phillip Wickham put "Carps" in the ascendancy, and on the path for a comfortable victory. But the complacency skipper Trent Lougheed alluded to after the match nearly cost them in the end.
"Today, the guys were complacent, and the game was close," Lougheed said after his team's narrow escape.
Chaguanas started the brighter of the teams, but it was Carapichaima who pulled ahead in the 23rd minute, when Cornwall was put through in the penalty area and lobbed the ball past Chaguanas goalkeeper Moriba Jacobs.
It took Carapichaima until the 54th minute to breach Jacob's net again. This time, Quammie John dropped his free kick onto the crossbar, and Wickham headed in the rebound from point blank range.
But Chaguanas were not ready to quit, and managed to break away on occasions, enough to worry the opposing defence.
One of those breakaways paid off 20 minutes from time, when striker Nathan Williams was put through in the penalty area, and with the goalkeeper already committed, he beat one defender and slotted into an empty net.
The real excitement would come in injury time following 90 minutes regulation time, when Chaguanas were awarded a penalty. Big game jitters, though, told on Maynard as he stepped up to take the potentially match-saving spotkick. He put it wide of the right upright.
That sparked vociferous celebrations from the few Carapichaima supporters at the match, and a few second later, the final whistle meant they were Central InterCol champs once again.
It also means they will have a shot at the National InterCol title, being the only team to advance from the Central Zone. Chaguanas will have to wait another year to fulfill their ambitions of national glory, though.
Today, the North Zone champs will be crowned, with Malick Secondary Comprehensive taking on St Mary's College at the Hasely Crawford Stadium from 4 p.m.
Schoolsoccernet writer Justin Henry reported that Scarborough picked up their first trophy for the season on Wednesday when they defeated Speyside by 3-1 at the Dwight Yorke Stadium and claimed the 2007 Tobago Zone Intercol Title. They can now focus their attention on the National Intercol Title where they will face the winner of East Zone Intercol Final between St. Augustine and El Dorado. The final was entertaining but the best football was not on display for either side throughout the encounter, however Scarborough settled first and were the better team throughout the contest.
Andell Noray netted a pair of goals for the victors and Trevin Caesar chipped in with one to guarantee Scarborough the victory. Akeen Dillon found the target for Speyside in the first half, but it was not enough to upset the Tobago giants.
