Zonal title-holders, Queen’s Royal College (North) and Presentation College of San Fernando (South), were both booted from this year’s Secondary Schools Football League Coca-Cola Inter-Col at the semifinal hurdle yesterday.
In the North, the Royalians, coming off a 4-2 penalty-kick win over Fatima College in their quarterfinal failed to survive another penalty-kick battle.
This time QRC fell to rivals St Mary’s 5-4 on penalties after a 0-0 draw at the end of 90 minutes in the first match of a double-header at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.
In the North final scheduled for tomorrow at the same venue from 4 pm, the “Saints” will meet bitter rivals and league champions, St Anthony’s College after the latter defeated East Mucurapo 3-0 in yesterday’s other semifinal.
Team captain and national Under-20 midfielder Dwight Ceballo opened the scoring for the “Westmooring Tigers” in the 30th minute while Keane Mc Ivor made it 2-0 four minutes after the interval before Rehsard Allen added the third in the 65th for the team’s ninth win from as many matches this season.
Shiva Boys dump Presentation
Down South, a new zonal champion will be crowned after the Dexter Francis-coached Shiva Boys’ slipped past last year’s winner Presentation College 1-0 in the first semifinal at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella.
The lone goal came courtesy national Under-20 midfielder Joshua Bachan in the 75th minute. In Thursday’s final, Shiva will meet zonal league winners Naparima College which got the better of St Benedict’s College 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 scoreline.
Naparima captain, Anthony Parris had given his team a 63rd minute lead but with a minute left in regulation-time Kyle Celestine fired in St Benedict’s equaliser to send the match into the dreaded shoot-out where his team missed twice.
Over in Tobago, Roxborough Secondary and Mason Hall completed the semifinal line-up with comfortable quarterfinal wins over Speyside and Pentecostal Light and Life respectively at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet.
Results
North
St Mary’s 0 vs QRC 0
St Mary’s won 5-4 on penalty-kicks
St Anthony’s 3 (Dwight Ceballo 30th, Keane Mc Ivor 49th, Rehard Allen 65th) vs East Mucurapo 0
South
Shiva Boys 1 (Joshua Bachan 75th) vs Presentation 0
St Benedict’s 1 (Kyle Celestine 89th) vs Naparima 1 (Anthony Parris 63rd)
Naparima won 4-2 on penalty-kicks
Quarterfinal
Tobago
Roxborough 2 (Curtis Joseph 3rd, Neishawn Roberts 19th) vs Speyside 0
Mason Hall 4 (Brandon Joseph 10th, Onasi Forde 19th, Omar Charles 43rd pen, Akini James 85th) vs Pentecostal Light and Life 0.
Schedule
Today Semifinals
Central
Venue: Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva
Tabaquite vs Carapichaima, 3 pm
Couva West vs Waterloo, 5 pm
East
Venue: Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar
Arima North vs San Juan North, 3 pm
El Dorado East vs St Augustine, 5 pm
Saints prevail over QRC.
By Kern De Freitas (Express).
There is something about a footballing rivalry that seems to bring out the best in teams. St Mary's College saved their best for last in a see-saw penalty shootout in yesterday's Coca Cola North InterCol semi-final, prevailing 5-4 over defending champions Queen's Royal College.
One could all but touch the tension at the Hasely Crawford Stadium as last QRC substitute Tarrique Ransome watched St Mary's goalkeeper Raheem Belgrave lunge to his right and pluck the ball out of the air to give St Mary's victory.
For 90 minutes the match was a carbon copy of the 2009 North InterCol final. Flashback to a year ago, and QRC romped home easy 3-0 winners in the subsequent shootout. But there was no surrender today by the "Saints" in white and blue, who gained revenge for their previous defeat.
Both teams scored their first three kicks, and then St Mary's Anthony Palmer shot overbar, only to be consoled by captain Kyle Beggs, who had earlier hit the mark. But Belgrave saved Makesi Lewis' attempt at full stretch to his left to redeem Palmer.
Brian de Verteuil and Nathaniel Logie scored for St Mary's and QRC respectively, forcing sudden death penalties.
QRC's Jared Penny could have sealed it after watching his goalkeeper Nicholas Dick save from Kevin Gomes, but he missed too. And the St Mary's players celebrated vigourously after watching Brandon De Verteuil score, and Belgrave thwart Ransome.
In hindsight, the tense finale was always on the cards. The first half brought a number of chances at both ends of the field, but neither team could make use of those opportunities in what was a spirited first half display.
QRC set the early tempo, but it was their play in that final third that let them down.
St Mary's, slower dot start, enjoyed dominance in the middle period of the first half before the Royalians perked up in the final ten minutes or so, to make the "Saints" feel perhaps lucky to go in at the break on level terms.
The main reason they did so was goalkeeper Belgrave. St Mary's found their stride and caused a couple of goal-mouth scrambles in the QRC defence. Brian De Verteuil was at the end of both those plays, but his first touch let him down both times.
At times QRC did enjoy good possession in midfield, but it was their passing and attempts in front of goal that were disappointing.
Left winger Brandon De Verteuil was set free by Joel Superville but hesitated and was closed down, while Beggs' long range free kick was no problem for QRC's goalie.
But QRC showed their spunk too, and only the gloves of Belgrave kept them from taking the lead before the half-time whistle.
Duane Muckette split the central defenders for Akil Morris to claim his diagonal ball on the right, but Belgrave was alert to the danger and made the save just as Morris fired toward goal. Muckette and Morris combined again a few minutes later, but still ended up second best to Belgrave.
The match see-sawed after the break.
Back and forth the action went, Logie curling wide of Belgrave's far post, before QRC were denied a shout for a penalty for handball.
Then Dick had to be on fire in the QRC penalty area, blanking St Mary's substitute Rashayne Marrett, then pulling off back-to-back point blank saves off Beggs and Noel. And before being substituted, Tariq Nicholls' cross was too long for Logie on the right of the penalty area.
But a contest between these two evenly-matched teams could only be settled at the penalty mark. And in the end, QRC blinked first and lost their crown. The Saints march on.
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