Gasparillo Youths (19 points) pulled to within a point of table-toppers Point Fortin Youth Academy (20 points) in group B of the Next Level Consulting Ltd (NLCL) under-19 community cup on Sunday, after getting a stunning 3-1 win over the latter team at the Mahaica Sporting Complex in Point Fortin.
Point Fortin went into their top-of-the-table match with Gasparillo as the only unbeaten team in the tournament. The hosts Point Fortin had a great start in the intriguing encounter when Jeremiah Abraham gave them a lead in the 36th minute.
Gasparillo did not back down from the Point Fortin challenge, though, and they equalised almost immediately through Jabari Rodriguez in the 38th minute. The visitors outlasted Point Fortin in the second half, and they got a pair of goals in the last 15 minutes of the game to hand the hosts their first loss of the season. Jerrell Griffith made it 2-1 for Gasparillo in the 78th minute, before Tyrese Harding sealed all three points with his goal in the 90th minute.
In the first game of the Mahaica double-header, the fourth-placed Made in La Brea (13 points) left it late against Kamillionare FC (seven points) to get a precious 2-0 win to keep their quarter-final push alive. Much like Gasparillo, Made in La Brea did their best work late in the contest, with Isaiah Robertson and Rueben Phillip scoring in the last ten minutes to give their team three points.
Made in La Brea's win opened up a six-point gap between them and the fifth-placed Kamillionare in group B.
In Balmain, Couva, the third-placed Central Soccer World (CSW) returned to winning ways in group B when they hammered Moruga FC by a whopping 7-1 margin. Kelon Williams and Jelani Stoute scored two goals apiece to lead an emphatic CSW performance.
CSW moved up to 16 points to consolidate third spot, with Moruga rooted to the foot of the table on three points.
In group A, the clash between the top two teams did not yield a winner, as QPCC and two-time reigning champions Soccer Made Simple (SMS) played to a gripping 2-2 draw in Bon Air.
SMS went into the halftime interval with a 2-1 lead after goals by Ezekiel Ramdialsingh and their star attacker Khaleem Prince. However, QPCC rallied late to maintain top spot in the group, as Fatima College attacker Caden Trestrail scored in the 87th minute to salvage a point. Both teams moved to 23 points, with QPCC's goal difference of +35 giving them the edge over SMS, who have a +14 goal difference.
In Malabar, Ezekiel La Rose scored in the 85th minute as Malabar Young Stars (14 points) got a 2-1 win over Blast FC to consolidate fifth spot in the group.
The theme of late winners continued in Westmoorings, when Isaiha David scored in the 86th minute to give Caledonia (17 points) a 2-1 victory over group A strugglers Cantaro United. Caeldonia's win pulled them to within a point of the third-placed Athletic International Academy with two games remaining in group play.