The Ministry of Education Ground on Carifesta Avenue will be electric come tomorrow, as the Under-11 Pee Wee football competition enters the semi-final round.
The two intense matches will feature the energetic youth players from top primary schools around the country vying for a chance to display their skills in next Saturday’s final.
The four teams in tomorrow’s royal showdown will be Tucville Primary, St Pius Primary, West Ruimveldt Primary, and Mocha Arcadia Primary.
In their quarter-final encounter, Tucville were paired with the dominant St Agnes, who probably had the highest number of goals in the competition. Nevertheless, Tucville refused to be intimidated and produced an all-round impressive performance of scoring and defence to overcome St Agnes. Heading into the semis, if Tucville are to repeat their mountainous feat, they will need to rely on their strengths which lie in their goalkeeper Serani Augustin and midfield twin 
sensations Samuel and Emanuel Tinch, coupled with precise scoring.
On the other hand, St Pius Primary appears to have a spot-on striking set-up. Remaining unbeaten in their 2018 run thus far, St Pius’ Kaden Wellington can be cited for much of the team’s success as the youngster finds the back of the net in each game. Despite this, St Pius are being seen as a threatening side, rising through the ranks with convincing wins week after week. The team will want to hold their focus for just one more encounter in order to cop a final spot.
The Mocha Arcadia team can be seen as the underdogs of this year’s tournament. The boys from the East Bank of Demerara gave the Georgetown teams “a run for their money” throughout the competition, to make it as far as they have. In their last encounter, Mocha found themselves in the hot seat when their game went to penalties; however, the youngsters proved that they can perform equally well under pressure as they edged North Georgetown out of the competition.
The final four would not be complete without mention of the defending champions, West Ruimveldt Primary. With the pressure weighing on their backs to do well, the defending champions have achieved just that, completing an unbeaten run in the 2018 tournament thus far. Yet, they still have a short distance to go. West Ruimveldt’s set-up is the perfect recipe for all-round teamwork, with a new set of names on the score card each week. Should the defending champions continue with their attacking plays and spot-on defence, the boys in blue and yellow will be celebrating back-to-back championships come next week.
The semi-final action will go down at the Ministry of Education Ground tomorrow afternoon. Surely, Saturday afternoon will be an afternoon of spirited youth football. Will Tucville make it? Will the defending champions bow out? Or will both of the underdogs storm into the final? The only way to be sure is to be at the Ministry of Education Ground, Carifesta Avenue when it all unfolds.
