Thrillers witnessed as women’s futsal gets underway

…Sophia, Gold is Money, Back Circle among male winners

The highly-anticipated MVP Sports/Petra Organisation female futsal tournament got off without a hitch last Saturday evening at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.
The likes of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Guyana Police Force (GPF), Fruta Conquerors and Avocado Ballers stamped their authority on the first night of the group stage.

Game 1 witnessed a stiff rivalry between Fruta Conquerors and Tiger Bay. After a fairly-quiet first half, Fruta Conquerors’ Sandra Johnson netted the first goal of the tournament in the 10th and her second in the 13th, for Fruta’s 2-0 victory.
That game was followed by one featuring a lethal second-half performance from the GDF Ladies, which led to their 5-1 win over Herstelling.
Odessa Romes found the back of the net first for GDF in the 1st minute, while Herstelling’s Jasmine Persaud equalised in the 5th. Another goal was not witnessed until the second half, when Anastacia Horshan (14th) and Abiola Haywood (20th) netted one each, while Kendra Williams (14th, 17th) added a brace to GDF’s tally.
The GPF women found themselves in a difficult position early on in their clash with GT Panthers’ women.
Tiandi Smith’s 5th minute goal for Police was immediately followed by a strike from GT Panthers’ Glendy Lewis in the 6th. Police finally found the icebreaker in the 20th, off the boots of Alleia Allyene for the 2-1 win.

The final women’s game of the night was a tense one between Santos FC and Avocado Ballers. Alicia Headly struck in the 10th minute for Avocado Ballers, and it became the only goal of the game, as they upset Santos.
In the men’s tournament, Stabroek Ballers, Sophia, Future Stars, Gold is Money and Back Circle added wins to their campaigns, while Sparta Boss and Bent Street held each other to a 3-3 draw, also on Saturday last.
Goals from Dacosta Abyage (4th, 11th) and Dorwin George (20th) accounted for Stabroek Ballers’ victory over Team Cruel, 3-1. Neron Barrow netted Team Cruel’s consolation goal in the 1st minute.
Although Vengy FC looked better than their first outing in the group stage, Sophia handed them a thrashing in the 7-3 game. Shemar Koulen’s hat-trick in the 5th, 14th and 15th minutes laid the foundation for Sophia. Lennox Young netted twice in the 13th and 17th, and Dequan Sealey and Shemroy Arthur added one apiece in the 20th and 18th for their seven.
Angel Villarva (4th), Jesus Periera (8th) and Edgardo Herrera (15th) shared the spoils for Vengy.
Future Stars edged Tiger Bay, in a contest that finished 4-3.
Jamal Cozier (3rd, 6th) gave Future Stars a solid start, but one each from Orin More (4th) and Akil Plass (9th), and an own goal in the 16th put them down by one goal. Keron Solomon’s late brace in the 17th and 20th minutes, saved the day for Future Stars.
Gold is Money eased past Mocha Family 5-1. Jamal Pedro opened the scoring in the 3rd minute, while Dextroy Adams added the first of his two in the 4th and Darren Benjamin struck in the seventh. Dorville Stewart etched Mocha’s lone reply in the 10th, but one from Michael Ballack in the 7th and another from Adams in the 14th, put a win far out of Mocha’s reach.
Back Circle also enjoyed an easy victory over Campbellville 4-1. Simeon Moore led the way for Back Circle with a triple in the 4th, 11th and 12th minutes. Stephan McLaren was their other scorer, finding the back of the net in the 16th.
Meanwhile, Marlon Gentle was Campbellville’s lone scorer in the 9th.
Two powerhouses met for the final game of the night and it resulted in a 3-3 draw. Neither Sparta Boss or Bent Street could find the deciding goal in their clash. Deon Alfred had nis name on the scoresheet for Bent Street as early as two seconds into game time, and Sparta’s reply came off the boots of Purnell Schultz in the 3rd. Ryan Hackett added another for Sparta in the 8th, while Schultz scored again in the 13th, but that was the end of their scoring.
Colin Nelson netted a brace in the 13th and 17th minutes, but could not find another to guarantee Bent Street a win.