Port Mourant stuns NATI; ETI bags second win as MODEC tournament continues

The quarterfinalists in the inaugural MODEC Tertiary Education Football tournament are all but decided following the conclusion of the first home and away leg of the competition on Tuesday.
Venues in Essequibo and Berbice were hosts to three exhilarating matches where the Essequibo Technical Institute (ETI) maintained their dominance over the Leonora Technical and Vocational Training Centre (LT&VTC) while the Port Mourant Technical Institute (PMTI) flipped the script on the New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI). Meanwhile, Upper Corentyne Industrial Training Centre (UCITC) and University of Guyana’s Tain Campus had to settle for a draw.
The first match unfolded at the Iman Bacchus Ground on the Essequibo Coast, where ETI got past a stubborn LT&VTC, 5-3.
LT&VTC’s Reon Alleyne broke the ice in the 25th minute, but their celebrations were short-lived as Deangelo Davidson levelled the scores for ETI by the 30th. Although Therry Thorne and Kenard Simon added to LT&VTC’s tally in the 49th and 55th minutes, Davidson went on to complete his hat trick for ETI in the 53rd and 62nd, while the likes of Jamal Smith (51st) and Jim Carter (72nd) netted one goal each to hand ETI the win.

Over at the Scotts Ground in New Amsterdam, UG’s Tain Campus improved on their last performance to hold out for a 2-2 draw with Upper Corentyne. Rarvon Simon put UCITC ahead with goals in the 5th and 20th minutes, but Tain’s Jaheim Elgin replicated the feat, also netting a brace in the 30th and 36th minutes.
The second of the Berbice doubleheader saw Port Mourant rebound from a 1-2 loss in their first game to stun NATI in their return fixture. Akadian Andrews added his name to the scoresheet first, giving Port Mourant the lead in the 18th. However, NATI’s Amare Caesar struck in the 38th to equalise.
In the second half, Andrews completed his double with another goal in the 53rd, while Clarence Charles put equalising out of NATI’s reach with another goal in the 84th.
The teams in the tournament are competing for a $300,000 grand prize to be given in kind for a school project. The second-, third- and fourth-place finishers will pocket $200,000, $100,000 and $50,000 for the same purpose.
The tournament is also being supported by MACORP, Demerara Mutual, and Banks DIH under its Powerade brand.