St Benedict’s College got double strikes from Malacai Webb and Jeremiah Grant to cruise into the semifinals of the Coca-Cola National InterCol play-offs on Wednesday with a convincing 6-0 triumph over Chaguanas North Secondary at Fatima College Ground, Mucurapo.
The win means they will now face Signal Hill Secondary in the second match of a doubleheader at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo from 5 pm, while Fatima College will be up against Trinity College East in the opening match from 3 pm.
Chaguanas North, coming into the quarterfinals of the InterCol as a replacement for Carapichaima East Secondary which played an ineligible player, met one-way traffic at Fatima Grounds, despite calls by coach Anson Raymond to close down St Benedict’s key attackers and play on the counterattack.
Instead, captain Tarik Lee, one of the dangerous St Benedict’s players made his presence felt when he collected a left side Jeremiah Niles centre unmarked in the Chaguanas penalty area and blasted it into the roof of the net and past the stranded goalkeeper for his team’s first goal early in the first half.
The goal came courtesy of Niles, operating down the Chaguanas right side.
The southerners, winners of the Tiger Tanks Premier Division League and South Zone InterCol titles could only get the lone item to take to the half-time interval after 45 minutes, and afterwards, there were no changes to the direction the traffic headed.
Nicholas Bobcombe this time was the provider of the second goal when he picked out Grant with a pin-point right side cross to head past goalkeeper Aidan Raymond in the 51st minute.
With little to no resistance coming from the central lads, St Benedict’s piled on the pressure by scoring their third goal. Niles again with another of his dangerous runs down the left flank was allowed to pick out Ephraim Brown at the far post to head past an out-of-position Raymond for the 3-0 advantage in the 70th minute.
Grant then got his second goal of the match with another of his trademark headers from Malacai Webb in the 75th.
And before the central men could regroup, Webb got his first item by slapping a low into the far post from the left side for a 5-0 lead in the 76th minute. And he (Webb) completed the rout with a header from Tyrique Lucas’s left-sided cross 10 minutes from the end.
The action continues today with the Girls East and Central Zones finals.
In the central zone - Miracle Ministries will take on Holy Faith Convent from 3 pm at St Mary’s College Grounds, while in the east zone final Five Rivers Secondary will be up against San Juan North Secondary at the same time at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar, Arima.
SOURCE: T&T Guardian