Pleasantville Secondary’s girls retained the Coca Cola National InterCol title after beating Signal Hill Secondary 3-1 in a hotly contested final at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Balmain, Couva, on Wednesday.
The Tobagonians, who beat the same team to win the Big Five title earlier in the season, were hoping to cause an upset having played unbeaten in the sister-isle, but they found themselves behind as early as the fourth minute when Tsai Anne Fernandez drilled her free-kick past Signal Hill goalkeeper Aaliyah Alexander for the opening goal.
Fernandez’s never-say-die attitude eventually earned her the Player of the Match award but it was generally an overall team performance that saw them claim the title they won last year.
Alexcia Ali, the Pleasantville leading goalscorer, tormented the Signal Hill defence in the early moments and really should have given her team a two-goal advantage when she was put through by Kayla Garcia. However, with goalie Alexander in her path, she hit the ball wide of the target in the 24th minute.
The visitors had few attempts at goal in the opening moments but they found the equaliser a minute before the half-time interval thanks to the inspirational Jelese Alexander.
An overlapping Alexander split the Pleasantville defence wide open with a through-ball to Tiah Crichlow to race onto and beat the onrushing Akyla Walcott in the Pleasantville goal.
The flow of the game fluctuated on the resumption as the teams battled for and advantage. The breakthrough for Pleasantville finally came in the 68th minute when Chrissy Mitchell curled her left6-sided free-kick past the Signal Hill custodian for a 2-1 lead for her team.
And with the game heading toward the end, substitute Taye-Ann Wylie threaded a ball through the defence for the speedy Ali to race onto it and lash powerfully to the vacant far post for the winner.
Teams
Signal Hill: Aaliyah Alexander, Dominique Scott, Derisha Bristol, Jelese Alexander, Tamia Alfred, Ashante Wilson-Campbell, Aaliyah Alvarez, Gamelia Waldron, Tiah Crichlow, Celine Loraine, Dilleasia Nicholson.
Pleasantville: 1.Akyla Walcott, Alayna Gunness (Zahara Mitchell), Tsai-Anne Fernandez, Kayla Garcia, Dalisha Brathwaite, Alexcia Ali, Chrissy Mitchell, Latifha Pascall, Kayla Mallard, Aaliyah Pascall, Kurshell Allen, Terrisha Meade.
Score
PLEASANTVILLE 3 (Tsai Anne Fernandez 4th, Chrissy Mitchell 68th, Alexcia Ali 81st) v SIGNAL HILL 1 (Tiah Crichlow 24th)
