The Semifinal round of the ExxonMobil Boys’ and Girls’ Under-14 School’s football tournament is set for this upcoming weekend at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground, following an exhilarating quarterfinal that was filled with shock and upsets.
East Ruimveldt’s Girls were the first to book a semifinal spot last Saturday, when they edged West Ruimveldt 1-0. Akeela Hazel was the hero for East Ruimveldt, scoring what would become the game-winning goal in just the 3rd minute of the game.
A glimpse of the Girls’ quarterfinal action between East Ruimveldt and West Ruimveldt
Deadlocked scores at the end of regulation time spurred a penalty kickout in the following game between New Central High and Tucville Secondary. Eventually, it was New Central who walked away with the win, netting 3 penalties as opposed to Tucville’s 2.
The penultimate game was anticlimactic, Charlestown Secondary having won by walkover in their scheduled contest with Dolphin Secondary.
However, the final girls’ game was nothing short of exciting, as New Campbellville Secondary walked away with a 4-1 victory against Ann’s Grove.
Michesha Osbourne was the star of the match, netting a hattrick in the opening minutes to put New Campbellville in the driver’s seat early. Osbourne found the back of the net in the 3rd, 7th and 9th.
In the second half, Jorcialy Sallina found the back of the net in the 43rd, to complete Campbellville’s 4. Keshaiya Tixey also scored in the 43rd for Ann’s Grove, but it was a little too late.
Over in the Boys’ competition, a lone goal ensured West Ruimveldt Secondary a spot in the semifinal when they locked horns with New Central High. The goal-scorer was Ronaldo Ramdass, who netted in the 40th.
Ann’s Grove continued their fine form, this time with a 3-0 victory over East Ruimveldt. Isaiah Pellew opened the scoring in the 16th, and found favour again in the 26th for a 2-0 game at the half. Akeyl Nedd added the final goal in the 49th for an Ann’s Grove victory.
A high-scoring contest resulted in heartbreak for Dolphin Secondary, who had been dominant in the tournament up until the quarterfinals.
Meeting with Cummings Lodge Secondary in the third boys’ game of the afternoon, Dolphin attempted a comeback from a 2-goal deficit, but it was not to be.
Rovin Henry (32nd) and Tyrel Walcott (34th) were responsible for Cummings Lodge’s first two goals. A Jason Sandiford strike in the 33rd, followed by a goal from Malachi Gowen in the 36th gave Dolphin hope of a turning in the tides.
However, Duquan Thom hammered home a double in the 38th and 40th minutes to put an equaliser far out of Dolphin’s reach. In the 42nd, Montell Marks sealed Cummings Lodge’s fifth, for a 5-2 win.
In the final quarterfinal game, Charlestown Secondary thrashed North Ruimveldt Multilateral 5-1. Front man Nicholas Nieuelder added to his already stacked goal tally with an opening goal in the 8th minute, followed by a second in the 30th.
However, those two goals were punctuated by an equaliser from North Ruimveldt’s Delon Wray in the 11th. Much later, Dequan Cox made it a 3-1 game in the 39th, before Colwin Kissoon put the nail in North’s coffin with a brace in the 40th and 42nd.
The tournament, which is also powered by DDL’s Pepsi, is expected to continue this Saturday, September 3, 2022.
