Jamal Pierre's goal, perfectly delivered right at the end of the first half, was as opportune for his Naparima College team as Vessigny Secondary's first loss of the season was untimely for the boys from deeper south.
The contrasting afternoons for the two schools at the top of the South Zone in the Championship Division of the BG T&T Secondary Schools Football League changed the landscape somewhat.
Naparima's 1-0 win over old rivals St Benedict's College, at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, has given them a one-point lead, one game into the second round of League action.
Vessigny's 2-1 defeat to last year's zonal Intercol champions Fyzabad Composite came courtesy of a double from Bevon Bass. And Bass' work dropped Vessigny from first to third as Princes Town Senior Comprehensive got past Mayaro Composite 1-0 yesterday to move into second, one point behind Naparima.
At Manny Ramjohn yesterday, the game was also about one goal. And very little else.
Jan Steadman, ex-St Benedict's star player and former Naparima coach, was on the Benedict's bench in what is his second stint in that post, playing his second game against the side he had made into national and Intercol champs a combined three times in the last six years.
But he would have seen better games, especially from Benedict's.
Naparima were more deserving of the three points if only because they were slightly better at creating chances.
Their best work came in the first half when they had about five decent opportunities to take the lead. Javed Mohammed, Naps' midfield prompter and national youth player, had at least two of them which he spoiled with wayward shooting.
Benedict's goalkeeper Kareem Grey was also responsible for keeping the scores level early on when he parried away a Renato Ramlochan snap-shot.
Grey, though, would have been disappointed to have been beaten at his near post by Pierre.
But the credit must go to the Naps player. He left off his more defensive duties, robbed namesake Jamal Faustin on the right side, moved from midfield into the 18-metre box, shifted past defender Orin Branker and then, with his left foot, fired past Grey.
It was the worst possible time to give up a goal.
And in a sterile, unenterprising second half, for which the Naparima instrumentalists in the main stand could do little to lift the tempo on the field, Steadman's new troops also could not help themselves.
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