Samuel sends Naps into semifinals.
By: Mervyn Stewart (Express).
A goal 13 minutes from time from roving defender Cion Samuel sent Naparima College into next week's RBTT InterCol semis.
The lone item at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella, yesterday, was headed home from a Sherrick Hilaire pass.
Carapichaima had first crack at goal, captain Kerron Smith finding the side netting in the 22nd minute. And then, eight minutes later, Smith, with goalkeeper Leston Shade at his mercy, kicked overbar from 12 metres out.
Naparima's best opportunity in the first half came in the 44th minute, when Danaka Jimdar's free kick from just outside the 18-metre area was tipped over by 'keeper Earvin John.
Naps coach Kertwyn Baird had Dazel Lara man-mark Smith in the second session of play. The ploy put the Carapichaima skipper out of the game.
The central zone supporters constantly chanted "Green Boys, we want a goal". It was not to be. Naps, on the other hand, came alive, but Samuel's powerful, long-range shot was pushed over by John.
Trailing one-nil, with just two minutes to go in the game, Carapichaima made a rare raid. However, Mycall Bedasie shot straight at Shade from inside the area.
Naps face north zone champs Fatima College in a semi-final duel on Wednesday, one day after east zone teams San Juan and St Augustine do battle for a championship match berth.
News from the 18-Nov-2005.
Fatima stroll into semis.
Garth Wattley (Express).[/size]
The nonchalance with which Marvin James and Makesi Lewis took and reacted to their goals did not suggest they were providing their team with safe passage into the semi-finals of the 2005 RBTT national InterCol.
But that is exactly what their two first half efforts did for Fatima College, the 2005 North Zone InterCol champions, against beaten South Zone finalists, Vessigny Secondary, in their quarter-final tie at the Hasely Crawford Stadium yesterday.
Fatima, enjoying their 60th anniversary as a school, are also having something of a football revival this season.
Their dramatic outlasting of neighbours Mucurapo Senior Comprehensive in a spot kick shootout last Sunday, gave them their first North InterCol title since 1981. That is a football lifetime away.
But, yesterday, the march of the class of 2005 towards national glory did not miss a step.
Vessigny, trying to forge their own winning legacy, found themselves out of their depth in a game that just never took off.
The southerners, South Zone InterCol losers two years in a row now, found the national stage too big to conquer, even without a large partisan crowd to intimidate them.
The Fatima players were always the more aggressive lot, faster to the ball and more certain of what they wanted to do when in possession. And the Vessigny defence seemed lost as to how to shut down the Fatima attacks.
The problem forced their goalkeeper Sherlon Swan into fatal error in the 12th minute when Fatima's Kevon Villaroel ran onto a centrally placed through ball inside the penalty area. Swan was forced to trip the free Villaroel with an outstretched hand. And James then came forward to confuse and effortlessly beat him with a shot into the bottom right hand corner of the net.
The early goal was a nail in the coffin the Vessigny boys could not pry loose. And their plight was made worse ten minutes later when a Lewis shot went in off the body of the exposed Swan. Again, a through ball through the heart of the Vessigny defence did the trick for Fatima.
Having been confined to defence, save for an angled Kiel Williams shot which Fatima custodian Adrian Foncette pushed away for a corner, Vessigny found goalscoring chances, far less a goal, as difficult to come by as a certain Bahrain team earlier this week.
The half time break gave coach Howard Spencer a chance to pep up his boys and make some changes. But despite beginning the second period with decidedly more urgency-their rhythm section having now arrived to lend support-the struggle continued for Vessigny.
Worse for the spectators, Fatima didn't seem especially keen or able to add to their tally.
Kwade Paul raised a glimmer of hope on the Vessigny bench in the 53rd minute when he dispossessed a defender and got into the 18-metre box. But his shot was weak and ill directed.
And nine minutes from regulation time, Williams created another chance for himself when he won the ball off an opponent but he too failed to direct his shot on target.
It was that kind of day for Vessigny, a forgettable one.
For Fatima, though, a national semi-final awaits, against the winners of today's quarter-final between South champs Naparima College and Central winners Carapichaima Senior Comprehensive at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella.
St Augustine stop Mucurapo 2-1 in extra time.
By: Kern De Freitas (Express).[/size]
St Augustine Secondary Comprehensive booked their National RBTT Intercol semi-final spot with a 2-1 victory over Mucurapo Secondary Comprehensive at the Hasely Crawford Stadium yesterday.
Immanuel Alexander's magnificent free kick from just inside the half line 15 minutes into stoppage time nestled in Denzil Carabon's far vee to bring an end to Mucurapo's hopes of securing a second title for 2005.
At the final whistle there was nothing but distress on the face of the opposing Mucurapo players, who saw another promising Secondary Schools Football League season end prematurely against the run of play.
After an excellent first half in which the "Green Machine" had the ascendency, they went ahead when Carabon stooped to collect a soft shot from outside the area by Daniel Joseph in the 24th. But his lethargic effort saw the ball roll right through him and into goal for a 1-0 halftime score.
Mucurapo came out guns blazing in the second period, Richard Roy's thunderous low 57th minute blast beating 'Gustine' 'keeper Johnathan Charles-who had an excellent game besides that blemish. But St Augustine held on until the end of regulation time.
Despite more of the same in stoppage time, Carabon was having a terrible match and Alexander seized the opportunity in style, keeping them on course for the Intercol title that eluded St Augustine last year.
