Goals galore on day three of Youth Cup
Sunset players (in red) work to keep the ball out of their net in match with Harbour View
(CNS): It was a scoring fest on day three of the Cayman Airways Invitational U-14 Youth Cup Wednesday, 23 June, with 22 goals scored by the three winning teams. Cavalier Soccer Club of Jamaica led the rampage by putting up 11 unanswered goals in their match against IFFDC of Dallas. Here is a rundown of the day three matches:
Cavalier Soccer Club 11, IFFDC 0
Jamaica’s Cavalier Soccer Club dominated from the opening whistle to the final blow, with forward Shanthamoi Brown registering the tournament’s first hat trick and six of his teammates also scoring. Brown’s first goal came in the second minute. Michael Allen netted the first of his two goals on the day six minutes later. Jamari Morrison headed the ball past stand-in IFFDC keeper, Jeri Mitchell Bush, in the 22nd. Dwayne Atkinson joined in the scoring a minute later before being subbed due to injury. The score was 4-0 at the half.
Allen added his second score five minutes into the second half after he penetrated the IFFDC defence then fired the ball into the back of the net. Brown added his second and third goals in the 43rd and 52nd minutes. Substitute Rojeaux Baines opened his account in the 54th minute.
Cavalier SC sought to play for possession with a large lead but capitalised on other opportunities thanks to Kamani Maxwell, who came in off the bench, and a pair from Kamoy Asher in the 60th and 68th minutes. IFFDC was playing without their usual starting keeper, Connor Bryant, who broke his leg during the team’s opening match.
REV Soccer Club 0, Tottenham Hotspur 5
The first good scoring opportunity was presented to Tottenham’s Jamie Bowden, only for him to be denied by REV keeper Elliot Brown, who has been impressive during the tournament. It was not until eight minutes before the half that the English side gained a breakthrough compliments Rafferty Pedder. Joshua Setchell scored in the 30th minute and Christian Carter on the verge of the break to give Spurs a 3-0 halftime lead.
D’Jean Spencer, who had been creating headaches for the REV defence all game, added his name to the scoresheet in the 48th minute. Tarrelle Whittaker added a goal in the 65th and missed a chance for another four minutes later when he beat the keeper but hit the woodwork. Although the score was 5-0, all in all it was a competitive affair and Brown’s work in the REV goal denied Spurs the opportunity for a wider margin of victory.
Sunset FC 0, Harbour View FC 6
Harbour View took control of the tempo and possession early in the game but missed several scoring chances. Kafui Douet evaded defenders before crossing the ball to Kellijah Morgan in front of the Sunset goal but his shot was denied by Lucas Burke, who seconds later made another impressive save. It was heartbreak for the Cayman side in the 24th minute when Jaden Ebanks deflected the ball past his own keeper in an attempt to block a shot, giving Harbour View a lead they would not surrender. Morgan scored a pair of goals in the 29th and 31st minutes to give Harbour View a 3-0 half-time lead.
The Jamaican side continued pressing forward when play resumed but were denied any immediate reward thanks to stellar defending by Sunset’s Micah O’Garro, who blocked several shots on the goal line, and Burke, who did his best between the pipes to keep his team in the game. Oquassa Chong, Romaye Davis and Matthew Bell each added second-half goals to double the Harbour View lead. It was Sunset’s last game of the group stage, losing twice after drawing the tournament opener but the coaching staff should be encouraged by the efforts of Burke and O’Garro in particular.
Today’s (24 June) matches will be played at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex. Tottenham Hotspur returns to the pitch for a 4:45pm kick-off against Harbour View FC to determine who will finish group play at the top of Group A. Tottenham won their two opening matches, while Harbour View is unbeaten with a draw and a win.
The second match features hosts Academy Sports Club against Cavalier Soccer Club at 6:30pm. Academy has one win and one loss, while Cavalier sports an undefeated record going into the last group match.
IFFDC (Dallas) will look for their first win when they face Gillingham FC at 8:15pm. Gillingham lost their opening match but rebounded with a win in their second fixture. Gillingham, Academy and Cavalier all still have a chance of advancing to the semifinals from Group B.
