Defending champs off to winning start

Defending champs Lodge Secondary got their title defence off to the perfect start, edging Queenstown Secondary 3-2 when the third annual Milo/Petra Organization Secondary Schools u-20 football tourney continued yesterday.

Played at the Ministry of Education ground, Ryan Hackett broke the early deadlock in the second minute for the holders, lobbing his effort over the advancing goalkeeper within the area, after latching onto a lobbed pass from a left sided free kick.

The Jamoon Drive unit would then double their lead in the 11th minute as Sylvester Richardson scored, stabbing home the ball down centre of the goal following a goal mouth scramble within the middle of the box from a left sided free kick.

Ryan Hackett (green) of Lodge Secondary and Rudy Richmond (yellow) of Queenstown Secondary challenging each other for possession of the ball dur
Ryan Hackett (green) of Lodge Secondary and Rudy Richmond (yellow) of Queenstown Secondary challenging each other for possession of the ball during their closely contested fixture.

However, Kelsy Benjamin would pull Queenstown within one of the champions as he scored in the 28th minute compliments of a powerful free kick just outside the centre of the box that went through the defensive wall and into the lower left hand corner.

Queenstown would then level the score line three minutes later as Vickram Chandranand scored with a header into the right hand corner of the net, after leaping above his marker to make contact with a cross from a left sided corner kick.

Nevertheless Jarel Grannum would ensure Lodge retook the lead in the 33rd minute with a right footed thunderbolt from 26 yards out in the centre of the field, which sailed into the top right hand corner.

The champions would then suffer an unfortunate setback as defender Cosmus DeSantos was sent off in the 55th minute for using indecent language.

Despite their numerical handicap, Lodge almost increased their lead in the 61st minute as Grannum struck the crossbar with a powerful attempt from outside the centre of the penalty area.

The crossbar would come to Queenstown’s rescue once more as Hackett was denied four minutes later compliments of a left footed strike after cutting in from the right flank.

In the second fixture of the day, Dolphin Secondary and Morgan Learning Centre battled to a 2-2 stalemate.

Leon Richardson gave Dolphin the best possible start as he netted in the first minute, finishing into the lower left corner following a one-on-one situation with the keeper after racing onto on a miss clearance by the defender.

Dolphin would further extend their advantage two minutes later as Joshua Ferreira scored, thumping his effort past the keeper into the lower left hand corner from the just outside the left side of the box.

However Morgan Learning Centre would battle back to pull within one compliments of a Keron Solomon penalty kick conversion to the right side in the 28th minute, following an infringement within the centre of the area.

The scores would then be levelled 10 minutes later through a Wayne Murray strike, placing his attempt into the lower right corner after pouncing on a failed attempted clearance by the Dolphin Centre half.

Morgan Learning Centre should have taken the lead in the 52nd minute as David Coates upon skipping past the advancing keeper following a counterattack, fired his effort wide of the left corner with an empty goal at his mercy inside the area.

In other results, Christ Church edged Houston Secondary by a 3-2 score line in the second fixture. Lemuel Ross, Shamar Carrington and Brad Evans netted for the winners in the ninth, 47th and 65th minutes respectively.

On target for the losers in the 42nd and 48th minute was Akosi Jarvis.

The opening match of the day saw North Ruimveldt and Richard Ishmael battling to 1-1 draw. Matthew Harrison gave the Mandela Avenue side the early lead through a 20th minute strike.

However Richard Ishmael would earn a share of the spoils as Rondel Peters found the back of the net in the 41st minute. The action is slated to continue at the same venue on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th.ing their matchup