Magnum Futsal Independence Cup: Extraordinary quarterfinal matches expected tonight

Play in the Magnum Futsal Independence Cup is growing in intensity with each match played, and tonight’s highly anticipated quarterfinal round is expected to be an absolute humdinger. Fans are thus well advised to be there for an unforgettable experience at the National Park Tarmac in Georgetown tonight.

After the attritive Round-of- 16 action on Arrival Day, the following teams emerged as contestants in this year’s quarterfinals: Gold is Money, Future Stars, Melanie, Back Circle, North East La Penitence, Bent Street, Showstoppers, and Sparta Boss.
Gold is Money experienced a scare on Thursday night, when they were down by three goals in their encounter with Tiger Bay. James Meredith, Orin Moore, and Akeem Lewis scored in the second, eighth, and 10th minutes respectively to turn on the heat against Gold is Money.
However, Randolph Wagner scored twice, in the 13th and 25th minutes, while Darren Benjamin and Michael Pedro netted in the respective 18th and 20th minutes to register a 4-3 victory for Gold.
An identical situation had confronted Future Stars in their match-up with Stabroek Ballers, when Stabroek’s Trevon Pluck opened the scoring in the third minute, and Mark Jhallu netted a double in the 6th and 14th minutes to have the score read 3-0 in Stabroek’s favour.
However, Future Stars kept their heads above water with a brace from Jamal Cozier, who scored in the 15th and 22nd minutes, while Raushan Ritch and Keron Solomon found the back of the net in the 18th and 21st minutes respectively, for a 4-3 win for Future Stars.
Agricola, who looked good earlier in the tournament, had no reply for Showstoppers in their match. Showstoppers did as their name suggested, with goals from Olvis Mitchell and Delroy Fraser in the 15th and 21st minutes respectively.
Another easy victory went to North East La Penitence, who edged Beterverwagting (BV) 1-0 for a spot in the quarterfinals. Carl Tudor was the marksman with a 14th minute goal for North East.
Back Circle enjoyed a 3-0 win over Alexander Village to ensure they would live to play another day. Back Circle’s scorers were Stephon McLean, with a brace in the 6th and 19th minutes, and Jermaine Beckles, who recorded a 17th minute goal.
In their match, Melanie registered three goals as opposed to East Front Road’s 1, to emerge victorious. Malachi Granum led the charge for Melanie with goals in the 9th and 14th minutes, while Teon Stewart found the back of the net in the 17th minute. Meshach Barrat was the only man on target for East Front Road, scoring in the 16th.
As one would expect, Sparta Boss booked their ticket to the next stage on the back of a 4-1 drubbing of Mocha. At one point, the game stood 1-1, with an opening goal for Sparta Boss from Jermaine Junior in the 7th being countered by a Mocha reply from Stephon Ramsay in the 10th.
Sparta Boss then pulled ahead, thanks to Ryan Hackett finding the back of the net in the 18th. Junior completed his brace in the 21st, while Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson netted one minute later to bring Sparta’s tally to 4.
Bent Street had the most convincing win of the night, demolishing Belfield 6-2. Sheldon Profitt was the star of Bent Street’s show, scoring a hat-trick with goals in the 13th, 14th, and 16th minutes. Pernell Schultz, Cosmos DeSantos and Daniel Wilson added their names to the scorecard in the second, 18th, and 24th minutes respectively.
On the losing side, Keyron Johnson, and Colin Richmond scored for Belfield in the 9th and 21st minutes respectively.
In tonight’s quarterfinal action, Sparta Boss would oppose Future Stars while North East La Penitence would be pitted against Back Circle in the marquee matchups. Gold is Money would oppose Showstoppers, and the final game of tonight’s quarterfinal action would see Melanie taking on defending champions Bent Street.
The respective quarterfinal winners would advance to the semifinal round on May 14th at the same venue. The winner of the tournament would collect $700,000 and the championship trophy, while the runners-up would receive $400,000 and the corresponding accolade. The third and fourth place finishers would walk away with $200,000 and $100,000 respectively.
Among the sponsors of this event are MVP Sport, Nigel Hinds Financial Services, Andrews Supermarket, Bold Expressions Barbershop, Fireside Grill ‘N’ Chill, Star Party Rentals, and Lucozade.

Complete Results
Round of 16 Stage

Game 1
Melanie – 3 vs East Front Road – 1
Melanie Scorers
Malachi Granum – 9th and 14th
Teon Stewart – 17th
East Front Road Scorer
Meshach Barrat – 16th
Game 2
North East La Penitence – 1 vs BV – 0
Carl Tudor – 14th
Game 3
Showstoppers – 2 vs Agricola – 0
Olvis Mitchell – 15th
Delroy Fraser – 21st
Game 4
Future Stars – 4 vs Stab Ballers – 3
Future Scorers
Jamal Cozier – 15th and 22nd
Raushan Ritch – 18th
Keron Solomon – 21st
Stab Scorers
Mark Jhalu – 6th and 14th
Trevon Pluck – 3rd
Game 5
Bent Street – 6 vs Belfield -2
Bent Street Scorers
Sheldon Profitt – 13th, 14th, and 16th
Pernell Schultz – 2nd
Cosmos DeSantos – 18th
Daniel Wilson – 24th
Belfield Scorers
Keyron Johnson – 9th
Colin Richmond – 21st
Game 6
Back Circle – 3 vs Alexander Village – 0
Stephon McLean – 6th and 19th
Jermaine Beckles – 17th
Game 7
Gold is Money – 4 vs Tiger Bay – 3
Gold is Money Scorers
Randolph Wagner – 13th and 25th
Darren Benjamin – 18th
Michael Pedro – 20th
Tiger Bay Scorers
James Meredith – 2nd
Orin Moore – 8th
Akeem Lewis – 10th
Game 8
Sparta Boss – 4 vs Mocha – 1
Sparta Scorers
Jermaine Junior – 7th and 21st
Ryan Hackett – 18th
Gregory Richardson – 22nd
Mocha Scorer
Stephon Ramsay – 10th