A brace from captain Caleb Boyce for Presentation College, San Fernando, assured them a comfortable 3-1 triumph over Malick Secondary on Saturday afternoon when action in Group B of the Premiership Division of the Tiger Tanks Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) continued at Union Hall, San Fernando.
In Group A, Speyside High inflicted early wounds on the St Anthony’s “Tigers” at home. The Tigers, following their opening win 2-0 against Pleasantville 2-0 last week, were put to the test on the road in the sister-isle of Tobago.
However, at Union Hall yesterday the win assured “Pres”, the winner of the opening Tiger Tanks Cup, their second win in the coveted league competition. Last week, “Pres” followed their 3-2 penalty-shoot-out triumph for the Tiger Tanks Cup with a slender 1-0 win over Trinity College East away from home, but yesterday they were made to come from behind for the second time this season.
The encounter was less than a minute old when a weak defensive header by Terrance Worrell to fend off an early Malick attack, fell nicely at the feet of Oba Samuel on top of the area. The talented Malick striker then hit low to goal, but his attempt took a wicked deflection off Cody Cooper and bounced agonisingly past goalkeeper Kanye Lazarus inside the Presentation goal for a 1-0 advantage for the northerners.
The goal was expected to set the tone for a Malick team that has been in a process of rebuilding for the past few years. However, “Pres”, playing at home for the first time this season, pulled themselves together and were rewarded in the 29th minute when Boyce delivered to the unmarked Isaiah Jacob on the left flank. And his centre appeared to be charged down when Micah Brathwaite rifled his shot goalwards, causing referee Cecil Hinds to point to the penalty spot.
Adah Barclay then stepped up and beat the dive of goalkeeper Mandell Huskerson in the Malick goal for a 1-1 scoreline.
The teams went to the halfway interval with the score at 1-apiece and when the game resumed, Barclay turned provider to send his team 2-1 up.
Barclay won the ball in the midfield and delivered it upfield to the unmarked Boyce to expertly weave his way through two defenders, before slotting the ball past the advancing Huskerson in the 53rd minute.
He later sealed the win in the 59th minute. Jacob found space in the centre of the field and unleashed a shot that proved to be relatively tame, due to sliding underfoot conditions. Still, Huskerson made a meal of it by parrying the ball into the path of Boyce who duly obliged by hitting the ball into the open net for the 3-1 victory in the group.
In Group A, Tobago giants Speyside High continue their winning ways courtesy of second-half items from Milz Johnson and Tyrel Moore. Those goals came after the “Tigers”, as the St Anthony’s boys are commonly called, opened the scoring early in the second half from Aadon Wilson-Wright.