One would think one were sitting in the stands at a FIFA World Cup match with the heightened tension generated at the Ministry of Education Ground as the Pee Wee Under 11 Football tournament entered the uncertain quarterfinal stage.
Saturday was a day of upsets and shattered dreams as the young players fought to the death to make it through to the semis; but while some were rejoicing, others were left in a flood of tears.
The first quarterfinal match featured the dominant St Agnes Primary opposing the determined Tucville Primary. While Tucville was always regarded as a strong team, they weren’t as successful as St Agnes, who were on a winning streak until they met Tucville.
West Ruimveldt and St Ambrose in battle
Although the players on both sides came out blazing, it was clear from inception that St Agnes had finally met their match in Tucville. Despite all of St Agnes’ dribbles, the Tucville defence worked hard to prevent the ball from entering the box.
Meanwhile, Tucville’s striking was also doing well, as Carlos Negus put his team one up in the 20th.
St Agnes were visibly dejected by time the first half of play had expired, but they recuperated by start of the second half, and were finally hitting the target; but kudos could be given to Tucville’s goalkeeper, Serani Augustin, who managed to intercept every advance.
St Agnes’ highest goal scorer, Justin Alcindor, managed the breakthrough for his team nearing the end of regulation time, paving the way for extra time.
But extra time bore no fruit for St Agnes, as Tucville Primary continued to demonstrate their superiority. John Harry carried the tally to 2-1 in the 43rd minute, and Wayne Solomon extended the lead to 3-1 for Tucville’s win in the 47th.
During this battle, St Pius were breezing through their encounter with Golden Grove. Kaden Wellington, who has been outstanding throughout the tournament, put St Pius one up in the eighth minute. The goal did not deter Golden Grove, as they continued in their attacking style. However, it proved futile, as St Pius continued to expertly hold them off.
Chance Niles took the score to 2-0 early in the second half, causing Golden Grove to scramble to find one, or even an equaliser. However, the semifinal was not to be for Golden Grove, as the time expired in haste.
The third quarterfinal match saw defending champions West Ruimveldt stamping their authority in the tournament against St Ambrose. The scoring was started by Mark Phillips in the 4th minute, and two minutes later Clean La Rose joined the party with West Ruimvedt’s second. St. Ambrose fought hard to hold off West Ruimveldt, but their concentration on defence prevented them from even coming close to the goal.
Clean La Rose returned early in the second half for his second goal. With the tally on 3-0, the win seemed to be well within the defending champions’ reach, and with goals from Syon Sampson and Jonathan Andries just one minute apart, the 5-0 win was sure.
The final matchup of the day saw North Georgetown and Mocha Arcadia clashing. It was a hard fought battle on both sides, as neither seemed to have the correct formula to produce a goal. Back and forth the ball went, edging close to both goals but not making the complete trip inside.
Eventually, after regulation and extra time had expired, it was clear that a penalty shootout would be the decider. On that stage, North Georgetown emerged the better team, as they netted one more penalty than Mocha for a 3-2 win.
The semifinals, featuring Tucville, West Ruimvedt, St Pius and North Georgetown Primary, will go down on Saturday, November 3, at the Ministry of Education Ground on Carifesta Avenue.
