Former winners W Connection and North East Stars both booked themselves into the semi-final round of the 2014 Lucozade Sport Goal Shield, against rivals Point Fortin Civic and Central FC respectively, to be contested on Friday 11 April.
Connection, the defending champions and two-time winners (2009 and 2013), whipped San Juan Jabloteh 3-1 in the first match of the quarterfinal round double header on Saturday at the Ato Boldon Stadium.
And in the second match at the Couva venue, the 2010 champions North East Stars, led by a first half Keron Cummings double, held off a resilient Police outfit for a 2-1 win.
Friday night Civic ousted two-time defeated Finalists Defence Force 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw, while Central FC flattened 2012 winners Caledonia AIA 4-0.
Connection meanwhile, also concentrating on the Digicel Pro League which it leads and closely followed by Central, featured a somewhat of a second-string starting line-up but strolled past Jabloteh in the opening half.
St. Lucia midfielder Tremain Shayn Paul fired the “Savonnetta Boys” ahead, 1-0, just eight minutes into the contest with a right-footed thump from 23 yards out after he was teed up by regular Hashim Arcia to beat rookie Jabloteh goalkeeper Shundelle Mayers.
It was long after and the 18-year-old Mayers, who only had his first start on Thursday in a 2-0 win over St. Ann’s Rangers in the LSGS play-off, suffered another item by the 15th minute.
A neat flick by diminutive Suriname forward Dimitrie Apai inside the area and Jamal Clarence rushed on to hit past Mayers for a 2-0 Connection cushion.
Connection made it 3-0 by the 24th minute, capitalising on an errant pass by Mayers, which was picked up by Neil Benjamin Jr. who played to Arcia, and the lanky forward was clinical in his strike to beat the Jabloteh goalie.
Mayers, who spectated a 27th minute strike just over-bar by Devaughn Elliot and a stoppage time miss by Benjamin Jr. which whisked inches wide of the far upper corner, did pull off a block-out in the 65th minute by getting his body in the way of a powerful deflected Paul effort from distance.
But Jabloteh later pulled back a goal in the 76th minute, reducing the deficit 1-3, when defender Kareem Smith pounced on a rebound off the gloves of goalkeeper Aquelius Sylvester, who had pulled off a diving save to keep out a well-taken Jean-Luc Rochford free-kick directed towards the far lower corner.
In the second match Police too had pulled back a second half item around the same time, a minute earlier to be exact.
Jameel Perry’s looping header off a poor clearance following a chip into the area by Trent Noel had left Jabloteh second choice goalkeeper Stefan Berkeley beaten.
However the Stars with a pair of first half goals by Cummings later held on for a 2-1 win.
Eighty-five seconds into the match and the Sangre Grande club was celebrating its opening item after a left-footed strike from 21 yards out by Cummings shell-shocked former Stars’ goalie Adrian Foncette.
And four minutes before the break Cummings was on the end of a brilliant long diagonal pass from midfield teammate Jeromie Williams, slipping past defender Ariei Mc David outside the area before racing in and hitting a low left-footed strike past Foncette to fit the ball just inside the far upright.
Foncette, who foiled a 35th minute Trevin Caesar strike and blocked out another two minutes inside the second half against the speedy Stars’ forward, denied Cummings a third in the 71st minute with a low shutout after the attacking midfielder was picked out by Caesar.
The LSGS semi-final round preparations of Connection, Civic, Central and Stars will be interrupted on Tuesday 8 April with Round Three Match Six fixtures of the 2013/2014 Digicel Pro League.
Connection, who leads the league standings with 42 points will take on sixth positioned Police FC (27 points) from 6 pm at the Ato Boldon Stadium, followed by second positioned Central FC (35 points) against seventh positioned Caledonia AIA (24 points).
Simultaneously at the Marvin Lee Stadium in Macoya, eight positioned San Juan Jabloteh (11 points) and cellar positioned St. Ann’s Rangers (3 points) will meet in a bottom of the table tie from 6 pm, and from 8 pm, North East Stars and Point Fortin Civic both tied with 33 points in third and fourth respectively will tackle each other.
2014 Lucozade Sport Goal Shield Play-off Result
W Connection 3—1 San Juan Jabloteh
Tremain Shayn Paul 8’, Jamal Clarence 15’, Hashim Arcia 24’ ; Kareem Smith 76’
North East Stars 2—1 Police FC
Keron Cummings 2’, 41’ ; Jameel Perry 73’
Teams
W Connection—22. Aquelius Sylvester, 11. Tremain Shayn Paul, 13. Devaughn Elliot (4. Daneil Cyrus 72nd), 14. Hashim Arcia, 15. Mekeil Williams (C), 17. Jamal Clarence (10. Joevin Jones 62nd), 19. Joel Leslie Russell, 25. Christian Viveros, 32. Dimitrie Apai (20. Stefano Rijssel 58th), 40. Jomal Williams, 65. Neil Benjamin Jr.
Unused substitutes—2. Kurt Frederick, 3. Gerard Williams, 7. Silvio Spann, 18. Julani Archibald
Coach—Stuart Charles Fevrier
San Juan Jabloteh—36. Shundelle Mayers, 4. Jean-Luc Rochford (C) (Yellow Card), 19. Dillon Kirton, 20. Dwane James, 24. Kareem Smith (Yellow Card), 12. Jamal Spencer, 21. Neil Mitchell (9. Jelani Felix 46th), 15. Micah Lewis, 6. Dario Holmes, 2. Duran Dilworth, 17. Kerry Daniel (13. Savion Kirton 83rd)
Unused substitutes—1. Kevin Dodds (GK), 10. Kerry Baptiste, 7. Rennie Britto, 5. Mudassa Howe
Coach—Keith Jeffrey
Teams
North East Stars—1. Stefan Berkeley, 5. Aquil Selby, 6. Jeromie Williams (15. Chike Sullivan 80th), 7. Elijah Manners, 8. Keron Cummings, 12. Jayson Joseph, 18. Kaashif Thomas (23. Kennedy Hinkson 75th minute), 19. Glenton Wolfe (C), 20. Trevin Caesar, 25. Keryn Navarro, 41. Neveal Hackshaw (Yellow Card)
Unused substitutes—9. Akiel Guevara, 11. Lemuel Lyons, Franz Husbands, 22. Cleon John (GK), 48. Jesus Perez
Coach—Angus Eve
Police FC—18. Adrian Foncette, 2. Jasimar Ashers, 10. Trent Noel, 6. Kenaz Williams, 8. Akiba Peters, 13. Elijah Roberts (Yellow Card) (21. Todd Ryan 35th minute), 15. Jameel Perry (Yellow Card), 20. Elijah Belgrave (Yellow Card), 24. Ariei Mc David, 25. Kemron Purcell (5. Anton Hutchinson 80th), 39. Joel Kevin Lewis (12. Vernell Ramirez 69th)
Unused substitutes—1. Errol Charles, 11. Kareem Perry, 26. Wendell Joseph, 34. Keston Mata (GK)
Coach—Richard Hood
Upcoming LSGS matches Semi-Final Round
Friday 11 April
W Connection vs Point Fortin Civic, Ato Boldon Stadium
Central FC vs North East Stars, Ato Boldon Stadium
Final
Friday 25 April
Ato Boldon Stadium