Bevon Bass scored a second-half brace as T&TEC whipped Enterprise Youths 3-1 in one of three early T&T Football Federation FA Trophy round-of-16 matches yesterday to secure a quarterfinal spot.
The Electricity Boys of the Digicel T&T Pro League got off to a great start when Kern Peters netted as early as the seventh minute at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella, but former national youth team striker Ryan Frederick replied for Enterprise of the Central Football Association in the 20th for a 1-1 half-time score.
Twelve minutes after the restart, Bass got his first to restore T&TEC’s one-goal advantage before he added another, five minutes from full-time to seal his team’s passage into the last eight.
Cunupia FC, champions of the CFA Premier Division, and Southern Football Association Petrotrin Super League Premier Division winner Pt Fortin Civic Centre also advanced 3-2 and 2-0 over Mathura FC and Joe Public (Super League), respectively.
Akeil James (fifth) and Jamal Spencer (45th) scored in the first half for Cunupia while Kiesh Charles (ninth) and Kendall Nathaniel (23rd) were on target for Mathura for a 2-2 half-time score before Anthony Noel netted a 49th minute winner for the visitors at Mathura Recreation Ground.
The five other round-of-16 matches were concluded after press time, inclusive of FA holders and two-time winner Neal & Massy Caledonia AIA’s encounter with Joe Public (Eastern Football Association) which was shifted from the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, to a 6 pm kick-off at Maracas Recreation Ground, St Joseph.
In the lone match at Mucurapo, Defence Force, currently top of the Digicel T&T Pro League and beaten in the FA final by Caledonia, faced Stokely Vale while in the lone all-Pro League match-up Police battled Central FC in the first match of a double-header at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.
North East Stars and T&TEC also started as favourites to advance against 1st FC Santa Rosa and Enterprise Youths, respectively.
In the other round-of-16 encounter, OJ Soldado All Stars hosted Shiva Boys’ Hindu College at the La Brea ground.
Results
T&TEC 3 (Bevon Bass 57th, 87th, Kern Peters 7th) vs Enterprise Youths 1 (Ryan Frederick 20th)
Pt Fortin Civic Centre 2 (Marcus Joseph 77th, Stephen Joseph 90th pen) vs Joe Public (Super League) 0
Cunupia FC 3 (Akeil James 5th, Jamal Spencer 45th, Anthony Noel 49th) vs Mathura FC 2 (Kiesh Charles 9th, Kendall Nathaniel 23rd)