Morvant Caledonia United and St. Ann’s Rangers sealed the final quarterfinal round match-ups of the 2016 Lucozade Sport Goal Shield after progressing from the qualifying round with wins over Point Fortin Civic and Club Sando, respectively, on Tuesday night Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva.
In Qualifier Two, Johan Peltier scored four minutes from the end to give Rangers a 1-0 win over Sando and set up a clash against his former side and defending Lucozade Sport Goal Shield champions Central FC on quarterfinals Day One on Friday April 8 from 6pm.
Peltier was in imperious mood, especially in the second half, and it wasn’t by surprise that the 24-year-old attacker found the back of the net to give Rangers the deserving winner by heading past Sando’s Grenada national team goalkeeper Jason Belfon from a Kevon Cornwall corner. Four minutes earlier Peltier was denied by the upright after lunging in to direct a Sedale Mc Lean cross towards goal.
The Angus Eve-coached Rangers had dominated the game, although Sando had evenly matched an exciting first half hour before injury, perhaps as a result of the speed of their opponents, to defender Amrit Gildharry and midfielder Jack Weedon forced Sando coach Anthony Streete into premature substitutions before the break.
Sando were lucky not to concede on 14 minutes when a dangerous cross from Kadeem Hutchinson was sliced onto the crossbar by a defender. And goalkeeper Belfon was later forced into saves by Hutchinson and Peltier but goalless it stood at the half.
Rangers later thought they had won a penalty on 68 minutes when Peltier went crashing into the ground at the edge of the six-yard area following a challenge from defender Corneal Thomas to thwart attacker. But referee Kevin Smart instead awarded Peltier a yellow card for diving to the relief of Sando.
Two minutes earlier Sando forward Devon Modeste had struck the base of goalkeeper Christopher Biggette’s upright with an overhead attempt after controlling an Akeem Humphrey pass off his chest for his side’s closest attempt to a goal.
In the earlier fixture, Primus – the 25-year-old T&T national team defender working himself back to fitness after two knee surgeries – headed Caledonia 1-0 in front four minutes before the break before setting up captain Kareem Joseph to score another in the 71st minute before Jameel Neptune completed the 3-1 win.
Caledonia had an excellent opportunity to double the advantage a minute before the hour mark but Marcus Ambrose was robbed of the ball at his feet by a fully stretched goalkeeper Akini Adams who recovered after being rounded by the opponent.
Adams, who had made three first half saves, including one with his left leg to deny Jameel Neptune in the 38th minute, was left beaten when Primus – occupying the role of centre forward in recent times – headed in from close range in the 41st minute after a Joseph free-kick from the left was headed on by Leslie Russell.
Civic did have their chances, one of which Nickcolson Thomas rattled the Caledonia crossbar in the 64th minute from a free-kick just outside the area. But when he was tasked with a kick from the penalty spot in the 71st minute after Kelvin Modeste was brought down inside the box, Thomas was denied by his former Civic teammate and T&T goalkeeper Marvin Phillip who dived low to his left to gather the ball.
Seconds later and Caledonia were celebrating their second goal from the counter attack. Primus took full advantage when an attempted headed clearance by the Civic defence fell to his feet and squared a pass to find Joseph free at the centre of the area and the Caledonia captain fired past Adams for a 2-0 lead.
Civic’s Kelvin Modeste reduced the deficit on 72 minutes after heading past Phillip but Jameel Neptune restored Caledonia’s two-goal lead in the 78th minute for a 3-1 finish.
Neptune, at the end of a flowing move involving Pernell Schultz and Kareem Joseph, calculated himself before hitting past a hapless goalkeeper Adams who had, moments earlier, matched a powerful strike from Joseph to put it overbar.
Results
Morvant Caledonia United 3 (Robert Primus 41’, Kareem Joseph 71’, Jameel Neptune 78’) vs Point Fortin Civic 1 (Kelvin Modeste 72’), at the Ato Boldon Stadium;
Club Sando 0 vs St. Ann’s Rangers 1 (Johan Peltier 86’), at the Ato Boldon Stadium.
Teams
Morvant Caledonia United: 1.Marvin Phillip; 3.Ranaldo Bailey (4.Ordell Flemming 71th minute), 5.Maestro Mensah, 6.Marcus Ambrose, 12.Kareem Joseph, 16.Antonio Joseph, 17.Akim Armstrong, 22.Jameel Neptune, 28.Pernell Schultz, 18.Leslie Russell (11.Abdallah Phillips 84th minute), 19.Robert Primus (15.Otev Lawrence 75th minute)
Unused substitutes: 8.Anthony Charles, 20.Jamaal Harvey, 29.Kareem Knights, 34.Stephon Seepersad (GK)
Coach: Jerry Moe
Point Fortin Civic: 52.Akini Adams; 3.Kurfri Pierre (20.Jamille Boatswain 73rd minute), 7.Nickcolson Thomas, 8.Akeem Redhead (10.Bevon Bass 80th minute), 16.Kelvin Modeste (Capt.), 17.Kestwin Goolie (11.Tigana Sparks 83rd minute), 18.Shaquille Stewart, 24.Juma Clarence, 27.Kern Peters, 29.Sylvester Teesdale (Yellow Card), 32.Jamal John
Unused substitutes: 1.Miles Goodman (GK), 4.Nicholas Thomas, 33.Daniel Smith, 25.Troy Moses
Coach: Leroy De Leon
Referee: Dennis Changiah
Teams
St. Ann’s Rangers: 22.Christopher Biggette; 2.Shakiyl Phillip, 7.Sedale Mc Lean, 8.Kevon Piper, 9.Kevon Cornwall, 10.Johan Peltier (Yellow Card) (29.Jameel Antoine 88th minute), 13.Jeromie Williams, 16.Richard Williams, 17.Kadeem Hutchinson (15.Anselm Jackson 67th minute), 18.Trevin Latapy (Capt.), 27.Kareem Baptiste
Unused substitutes: 1.Stefan Berkeley (GK), 11.Kevon Edwards, 20.Shomarie Antoine
Coach: Angus Eve
Club Sando: 1.Jason Belfon; 3.Shanon Phillip, 4.Moron Phillip, 6.Kemuel Rivers (Cap.), 12.Jack Weedon (26.Shaquille Holder 42nd minute), 15.Amrit Gildharry (19.Ryan Frederick 25th minute), 17.Jared London, 22.Coneal Thomas, 24.Devon Modeste, 38.Michael Basdeo
Unused substitutes: 9.Jesse Downing, 20.Rickson Phillip, 27.Trevon Mitchell, 34.Kelvin Henry (GK), 29.Junior Asson
Coach: Anthony Streete
Referee: Kevin Smart