Barrow, Williamslead Chase’s boys, Bartica’s girls to ExxonMobil U14 supremacy

It was two battles of Georgetown vs Region 7 on Sunday afternoon, when the grand finales of the ExxonMobil Boys’ and Girls’ Under- 14 schools’ football tournament was staged.

Vying for the vacant Girls’ title, newcomers to the tournament Chase’s Academic Foundation took on last year’s third- place finishers Bartica Secondary.
The contest saw both sides sending numerous shots at the nets but the first half bore no fruit for either team. In the second half, Bartica finally got their opportunity to go ahead when they were awarded a free- kick from outside the box. Alesha Gonsalves took the shot which initially found the keeper’s hands but deflected into the back of the net to break the ice.

Then, Captain Nerismar Williams made it a 2-0 affair, capitalising on a build- up in front the nets to score in the 35th minute and seal the victory.
Following the game, Bartica’s Captain Williams shared what the win meant to herself and team.
Williams shared, “I felt better because last year we come third and now we wanted to come first. And we come first.”

“It will be nice [the celebrations] we make them feel proud of we,” she concluded.
Meanwhile, Chase’s Academic Foundation’s boys had their revenge for their female counterparts, ensuring that the championship trophy stays at Parade Street for a second consecutive year.
Three Miles Secondary’s defense was stiff but it was their goalkeeper who worked overtime to ensure they hadn’t conceded earlier. However, Chase’s Captain Nyron Barrow found a gap in the 25th minute, sending a rocket shot into the left corner of the goal.
The half ended 1-0 in Chase’s favour but the second would see an even bigger show from the defending champions.
Jaden Christian extended their lead in the 31st minute, followed by a tap into the left corner off the boots of Aaron Vasconcellos in the 35th.
Akeem DaSilva pulled on back two minutes later for Three Miles’ consolation but a successful penalty taken by Barrow in the 44th sealed the victory for Chase.
The captain, Barrow, later shared how confident his team was heading into the matchup.
“Well, we had to go and train hard. Coach man tell us let we come out with a different mindset to win the game and we had a prayer before we play and we come out successful,” Barrow divulged.
He added, “We was always confident that we will come away with a big win in the finals, yeah. Bartica been fighting like us, they wanted to win too.”
In the third- place playoffs, Waramuri Secondary fought their way onto the girls’ podium with a 1-0 victory against Marian Academy. An own goal off a Marian Academy player in the 20th minute accounted for the only strike of the game, handing the win to the Region 1 outfit.
Meanwhile, the boys’ third- place game was equally riveting. After battling for more than 40 minutes, neither West Ruimveldt nor Waramuri Secondary could find the back of the net at the end of regulation time. As such, the contest went down to penalties where West Ruimveldt prevailed 4-1.
During the presentation, Nyron Barrow and Nerismar Williams were named the boys’ and girls’ MVP respectively while Micah Boodie and Norismar Williams, both of the winning teams were the best goal keepers.
The Bartica Captain walked away with the girls’ highest goal scorer award for her ten goals in the competition, while Chase’s Jaden Christian and St. John’s College’s Robinho Abrams shared the boys’ award with 9 goals each.
A new individual award, introduced and funded by the National Sports Commission (NSC) recognized the tournament’s most promising players. Chase’s Leandra Henrito won for the girls while St. John’s Robinho Abrams won the boys’ award.
Chase’s Boys and Bartica’s girls carted off $400,000 while the second- place finishers received $200,000, third- place $100,000 and fourth- place $75,000.