El Do edge Saints for final berth.
By: Kern De Freitas (T&T Express).
El Dorado East Secondary sent St Mary’s College marching home with a 7-6 win in a tense sudden-death penalty shootout yesterday at Hasely Crawford Stadium.
A 1-1 deadlock after regulation time, thanks to first half goals from ’El Do’ talisman Daneil Cyrus and St Mary’s captain Kyle Beggs, left the teams at the penalty spot. And although ’Blue Thunder’ skipper Khavoir Graham missed his team’s first kick, El Do goalkeeper Christian Edwards saved from Christian Briggs and Jason Mendez hit the crossbar to leave Keelon Joseph the task of beating Raheem Belgrave in the Saints goal, booking their berth in the final in the process.
Underdog status was clearly marked on El Dorado’s lapel, but their intent was no less visible, with shots on goal by Shaquille Smith and Cyrus within the first minute.
St Mary’s also let in Keron Hernandez, who blasted just wide with opposing goalkeeper Belgrave at his mercy.
The Saints slowly found their stride and had their own arguments for drawing first blood, but Dillon Kirton, coming in from the left side of the penalty area, had at least three glaring misses close up, including a blast overbar with the goal at his mercy.
Cyrus, relatively quiet for much of the half by his standards, did threaten with an incisive through pass to Keron Bethelmy and was thwarted in the 25th by the legs of Belgrave in one-on-one play. But a similar run in the 28th left Belgrave for dead, as Cyrus beat the custodian to his right at the near post for the lead.
Bethelmy and Dwayne Gonzales then missed chances to send the Blue Thunder further ahead, but St Mary’s captain Kyle Beggs did not miss his team’s chance to level the scores, heading home a Chad Appoo corner kick to go in 1-1 at the break.
St Mary’s had the better of the second half, which was not nearly as exciting as the first.
Their forward thrust was tempered by El Dorado’s dogged defence, but the East Zone runners-up, having Cyrus sitting deeper in defence, did not seem as potent in attack.
The long ball to the lone striker, the diminutive Bethelmy, perhaps the shortest man on the field, did not work well. Instead, El Do were prepared to sit back and soak up the pressure.
The Saints, meanwhile, turned on the heat to try and find the winner in regulation time, a wise choice after their 3-0 penalty shut-out by Queen’s Royal College in the North Zone InterCol finale.
Tyrell Grant nearly had it in the 79th, driving a loose ball just over the bar and at the other end, a rare header by El Dorado’s Xavier Ravanales forced a punch out of Belgrave.
A last gasp save by Edwards kept Kirton from reaching a dangerous ball by Appoo in the 90th and the teams proceeded to the decisive shootout. In the end, the Thunder sounded loudly and St Mary’s were left to take the long walk home.
