Maloney FC surged from a goal behind to make light work of high flying league champions 1st FC Santa Rosa, with a 5-1 win in the Eastern Football Association (EFA) Emerald Apartments and Plaza Cup final, on Sunday.
The match was played at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya, with Maloney taking an all-out attacking approach to the second half, after being set back 1-0 before the end of the first period.
Santa Rosa, without six of its regular starters in the line-up, drew first blood in the 19th minute, off the boot of Jovan Rochford. The 1-0 lead lasted until the half. Minutes after the restart, Keron Clarke equalised for Maloney, before Nathan Lewis gave the team its first lead. Lewis scored his second in the 72nd gave Maloney a 3-1 advantage.
Owen Thompson then continued the onslaught with his lone goal in the 80th minute, before Lewis rounded off his hat-trick and the team’s fifth and final goal in the last minute of the match, which gave them the win.
The win saw Maloney, which finished 6th in the EFA league campaign, lift the cup ahead of 1st FC Santa Rosa which won the league outright. Santa Rosa, despite the loss has been in exceptional form, having only formed a senior team in 2010.
The league win meant a spot in the “Champions of Champions” Super League qualifiers which continues on Thursday, when Santa Rosa faces Harlem FC.