West Ruimveldt, North Georgetown to clash in Smalta Finals

Smalta Girls Pee Wee Football

…defending champions South Ruimveldt bow out

The Smalta Girls 11-and-Under Football tournament is coming to a close after weeks of riveting competition between primary school girls. With one day of play remaining, two teams will be looking to etch their names in history as they compete for the championship.
The semifinal round played at the Ministry of Education Ground at Carifesta Avenue on Saturday saw West Ruimveldt taking on St. Pius Primary, as defending champions South took a shot at North Georgetown Primary, hoping to go all the way for back-to-back wins.
With the blazing sun presenting favourable conditions for play, St Pius and West Ruimveldt took to the field for the first semi-final. The encounter proved to be very similar to last year’s third-place playoff. With the same two teams facing off, Seona France of West Ruimveldt was the first to strike, in the 5th minute of play. However, Christal Archer exhibited heroics for St. Pius to equalise the score in the 21st.
There was much back and forth, but neither side could land the ball in the goal. As such, the match moved to extra time, and when this was not enough for a tie breaker, the game went down to a penalty shootout.
St Pius thus opted for a change in goalkeeper, but this proved futile for the challengers, as that goalie could not stop West Ruimveldt’s accurate striking. The penalties finished 3-2 in West Ruimveldt’s favour.
The second semifinal was even more exhilarating than the first, as South Ruimveldt and North Georgetown Primary met to battle. From the sound of the whistle, North Georgetown showed their intention to prevent the defending champions from going any further in the 2018 tournament.
Martha Chase led the charge for the North Georgetown team, as she often created goal opportunities for her teammates, putting their opponents under pressure.
Nikkia Manning of North Georgetown had the golden boot, as the young lady launched a clean strike into the goal from outside of the box. Try as South’s goalkeeper may, she could not prevent the lone goal of the game. South’s Fayon Harry could not rise to the occasion in the semifinals when her team needed her most, as the opportunities were few and far between owing to North Georgetown’s strong defence.
When the final whistle was sounded, Manning’s lone goal was the winning one, giving North Georgetown a shot at the title
The final of the Petra-organized Smalta Girls 11-and-Under tournament will be staged on Sunday, December 16, at the Ministry of Education Ground on Carifesta Avenue, where West Ruimveldt will take on North Georgetown for the title.