1 week ago
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IN A game played with the intensity of a final, Jamaica College (JC) edged Excelsior High 2-1 yesterday in the first round of matches in the quarterfinals of the ISSA/WATA Manning Cup at Stadium East.
Jamoy Dennis handed JC the lead in the 29th minute before Kimarly Scott pulled Excelsior level at the stroke of half-time.
Duwayne Burgher would hand JC all three points, finding the back of the net in the 83rd minute.
In the opening game of a doubleheader at Stadium East, Charlie Smith High pulled off a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Hydel High.
Mario Nelson opened the scoring for Hydel in the 29th minute but the St Catherine school was pegged back when defender Damari Bowen scored an own goal in the 61st.
Neyo Drummond secured the win for Charlie Smith just a minute later with a well-struck shot from inside the box.
Later, Raymond Watson, JC’s coach, praised his players for the win and said the match was decided by heart and sheer grit at the end of an intense 90 minutes.
“As Jamaica College, we do try to play quality football but in the second half, it was more about heart and determination, needing to win, wanting to win, and we got the victory,” Watson said after the match.
“This was like a final today. It was an exciting game, real hard intensity. Getting three points, that was the aim and I’m very elated that we got it.”
JC drew first blood in the encounter when Dennis received the ball inside the box, and found the back of the net with a shot that was just out of reach of goalkeeper Jamari Gordon.
Not a team to be silenced, Excelsior went hunting for the equaliser and came close on more than one occasion.
Scott pulled them level just before the half-time whistle with a striker’s finish far beyond his years.
Taking the ball down inside the box, and with a defender at his back, Scott pulled off an acrobatic finish that sent Excelsior fans into hysterics.
The second half proved to be end-to-end action with both teams carving out half chances.
Burgher was played through on goal for JC but could not get his shot off as he was immediately closed down by Excelsior’s defence.
Excelsior upped the tempo and came close to a second when Scott met a long throw into the box from Shamarie Chambers, but his effort looped high of the mark.
FAILED ATTEMPT
They threatened once again in the 71st, this time with Kivann Salmon whipping the ball across the face of goal.
Two minutes later, Scott, limping after a harsh challenge, proved he did not need mobility to be a goal threat.
The striker swivelled on the edge of the box on his right leg, to let loose a left-footed volley at goal.
His strike was ill-timed, however, and was easily collected by Gordon.
Excelsior earned a dangerous free kick on the edge of the box in the 76th minute, prompting their fans to start chanting for a goal.
Those chants soured soon after as Salmon’s effort struck the wall and JC quickly capitalised with a counterattack.
However, Dennis failed to find his second goal of the afternoon at the decisive moment as he sent the ball high off the mark.
Burger restored JC’s lead in the final 10 minutes of the game when he bundled the ball over the line from point-blank range.
As time dwindled, frustration broiled over as an argument in the JC penalty box threatened to lead to a brawl between the two teams, but the situation was quickly handled by the referees.
Excelsior felt they found the equaliser when a shot at goal in time added was cleared off the line by a wall of five JC defenders and their goalkeeper.
Despite an Excelsior onslaught in the final minutes, JC saw out the result to claim the win.
Even at the end tensions again threatened to broil over as an encounter between a player and one of the ball boys nearly led to an altercation between the two teams.
Both coaching staffs were able to intervene in time, and sent their teams to their respective changing rooms.
After the game, a member of JC’s coaching staff, who wanted not to be named, expressed disappointment with the referee who they felt did not handle the game properly, which led to the added tension.
The results see Charlie Smith and JC move to the top of the group with three points each, but Charlie Smith hold the advantage with more goals scored.
In Zone B action, Eltham High picked up a massive win when they thumped St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) 4-1 in a dominant display.
Vauxhall High also claimed a precious three points when they clipped Calabar High 1-0.
Eltham and Vauxhall both move to three points, with Eltham holding the advantage on goal difference.
Yesterday’s Results
Charlie Smith 2-1 Hydel
Calabar 0-1 Vauxhall
Eltham 4-1 STATHS
Excelsior 1-2 JC
English (US) ·