Defending Central Zone champs, Carapichaima Secondary kicked off their 2008 campaign of the BGTT Secondary Schools Football League with a 2-1 win over newcomers Preysal yesterday.
Meanwhile, Trinity College East shut out Hillview College 2-0 at the WASA grounds in St Joseph. Trinity College struck an early blow with Shakir Cole getting on the scoresheet with a goal in the eighth minute. Hillview tried their best to cancel their opponent’s item but Trinity held firm to take a 1-0 advantage into the half. And Kevon John put the result beyond doubt scoring in the 62nd minute to make it 2-0.
In the South Zone, Siparia Secondary fought back from a goal down to beat St Benedict’s College 2-1 at the Siparia Grounds. St Benedict’s went ahead 1-0 in the 35th but Akeel Pope fired in the equaliser in the 65th. And their star player Kevin Flanders scored the winner five minutes from time to deny St Benedict’s a share of the points.
Today Fatima College will host last year’s zonal runner-up Malick Comprehensive while Queen’s Royal College will square off against Mucurapo Comprehensive at QRC Grounds.
Reigning North Zone champs St Anthony’s will begin the defence of their title against St Mary’s College at the St Mary’s Grounds.
In the East Zone, Big 5 champions, San Juan Comprehensive will play Toco Composite in the first match of a double header at the Larry Gomes Stadium. Kick-off time is at 3 pm. Two hours later the “Dial Dynamos” Arima Comprehensive will face St Augustine Comprehensive — the”Green Machine”.
In the South, Vessigny and Princes Town will clash in game one of a double-header at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium (3 pm) with Naparima taking on Presentation College immediately after (5 pm).
In the Central Zone, Chaguanas hosts Waterloo while Presentation College will play Marabella at the Presentation Chaguanas Grounds.
Trinity spring upset.
New to the SSFL 'big time'...
By: Roger Seepersad (Express).
Trinity College East provided the first upset of the BG Trinidad and Tobago Secondary School Football League when they defeated Hillview College 2-0 on opening day of the 2008 season at WASA Ground, St Joseph yesterday.
In other action yesterday, Siparia Junior Secondary came from one goal down in the first half to defeat St Benedict's College 2-1 in the South Zone, while the highly-anticipated St Mary's College versus St Anthony's College clash was rescheduled and will take place today at CIC Ground, Serpentine Road, St Clair, from 4 p.m.
The newly-promoted Trinity boys made their intent clear as early as the seventh minute when Shakir Cole put the visitors up 1-0 and continued to apply pressure right up until the half-time whistle.
It was nonstop action dominated by Trinity, who created more chances and displayed a more organised and spirited approach throughout the encounter with Kevon John and Antonio Bastaldo continuously troubling the Hillview mid-field.
John, who had a close range effort blocked in the 35th, fought through two defenders two minutes later in the penalty box to offer the ball to Bastaldo, whose toe-poked shot was just wide of the mark with the Hillview custodian Quim Bess advancing off his line.
In the 45th, Trinity's Marvin Springer passed the ball across the Hillview goal to Trent Cockburn, who powered his shot over the top.
The second half saw a revived Hillview College, more coordinated at the back and going forward, and then it was their turn when Sean Aberdeen gave them their first real chance at goal three minutes after the restart. However, Aberdeen blazed his close-range effort wide of the mark.
Trinity continued to play aggressively and were rewarded with their second goal in the 67th following a long build-up which began at the opposite end of the field and ended at the boot of John who collected the ball in front of goal and calmly put the game out of Hillvew's reach.