Guyana’s junior men’s hockey team qualified for the semi-final round of the Players Tournament in Trinidad and Tobago, coming from behind to defeat Queens Park 3-2 on penalty kicks in their final preliminary match on Thursday.
With the score locked at 2-2 at the end of normal time, Guyana overcame the misses of siblings Keon and Kareem McKenzie and clinched the contest compliments of smart goal-keeping from Medroy Scotland.
Netting for Guyana in the shoot-out were Mark Sargeant, Andrew Stewart and Leon Bacchus. Prior to the dramatic conclusion of the fixture, Guyana overcame a 2-0 deficit to push the match into its eventual end.
Ato Greene began the comeback for the Guyanese as he deflected a Kareem McKenzie pass into the back of the net. Stewart then sealed the comeback as he found the back of the net from a penalty corner conversion.
With the win, Guyana finished on the same points as the Malvern Hockey Club. However, Malvern secured the top spot in the group due to their superior goal difference. Guyana will oppose Queens Park again in the semi-final round. Malvern will faceoff with the U-21 Training Squad in the second semi-final.
This tournament is the second phase of the team’s preparations for the 2016 Pan American junior championships which is slated to be hosted in Toronto, Canada.
