National U-20 captain Mariah Shade showed supporters at Guaracara Park, Point-A-Pierre yesterday why she is considered one of the best footballers in T&T by scoring a double to inspire Debe High to a 2-0 win over Point Fortin East in the BGTT Girls South Zone InterCol final.
Shade made two superb runs from mid-field with no less than three Point Fortin East defenders on her trail to score on both occasions, and ensure her team’s victory after the Point Fortin girls threatened to upset the champs with a gritty display.
Shade literally did it alone, and Debe will have to step up if it expects to get past North Zone winners, Providence Girls College in the national final tomorrow at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
Point Fortin looked a determined unit from the whistle and dominated the first half, and the greater part of the second, with Under-17 player, Camille Charles creating chances for Shanice James who was denied on multiple occasions by Debe goal keeper, Linfah Jones.
The South Zone champs seemed short of a response to Charles’ aggressiveness in mid-field and Point Fortin would be disappointed for not finding the back of the net during the first half.
Debe, which has been struggling for the past three matches, failed to convert a number of easy chances, some unchallenged right in front of the post. Shade was the major culprit, missing three goals in the first half while her partner Elizabeth Ng Wai, also failed to convert some easy chances.
It seemed to be only a matter of time before Point Fortin scored, with the ball being played largely in Debe’s half of the field, but for all Charles’ hard work, Point was without an effective finisher.