The little Big man, Abdul-Quddoos Hypolite is the toast of Curacao with an inspired performance in the attack for Trinidad and Tobago when they faced Guyana in the opening match of the Caribbean Football Union Boys’ Under 14 Challenge Series. The game ended 8-0 in favour of T&T with Hypolite grabbing a first half brace.
This competition is the first real test for the young men emerging from the NLCB Youth Development program and they looked the part from early in this 70-minute match hosted at the Stadion Ergilio Hato as Hypolite released Ja-Shawn Thomas on goal in the 5th minute with a deft through ball but the lanky striker hit straight at Shavid Hernandez in the Guyana goal.
The opening item came three minutes later with the shortest man on the pitch reaching the cross from Josiah Wilson first and it was a picture-perfect header from Hypolite to make it 1-0 T&T.
Possession was heavily in favour of the outfit coached by Stuart Charles-Fevrier who left Leonson Lewis in charge on the day to attend his daughter’s wedding but they lapsed in the 21st minute and almost gifted our neighbours a goal but thanks to a timely double save by Tristan Edwards the lead was preserved. The goalkeeping seemed to inspire the attack who conjured a fluid move which ended with Thomas tucking the ball neatly pass Hernandez for goal number 2. The men in green would further rue that early miss when a third goal closely followed as a result of a clinical finish from Hypolite who elude one defender and fired with two more converging as the bullet whizzed pass the keeper. Molik Khan then got in on the act with another well taken item to make it 4-0 at the end of the first 35-minute period.
Nathaniel James open the scoring in the second half with what one spectator called “ah big man goal” as he cut in from the left flank and fired into the top right corner as the goalkeeper also looked on in awe. Hernandez was also caught looking at goal number six which came off the boot of captain Jaheim Marshall in the 47th minute.
With this being a development tournament, teams are allowed to use all seven substitutes and coach Lewis began to employ his options. One of those options was Joshua Mason who replaced Hypolite in the 49th minute and with his first touch he put the ball in the back of the net for the seventh.
Another substitute, Dantaye Gilbert rounded out the scoring for T&T in the 62nd minute to give the Elites a comfortable win. They next face Bonaire on Monday 6 with Aruba on Friday 10 and the host on Sunday 12 to close out the series.
T&T Lineup: 18. Tristan Edwards, 2. Christian Bailey, 3. Dawn St. Rose (12. Tyrik Trotman 57’), 4. Jaron Pascall, 6. Jaheim Marshall (13. Kassidy Davidson 57’), 7. Abdul-Quddoos Hypolite (17. Jaheim Faustin 49’), 8. Molik Khan (15. Dantaye Gilbert 36’), 9. Ja-Shawn Thomas (16. Joshua Mason 49’), 10. Nathaniel James, 11. Josiah Wilson, 14. Triston Stafford (5. Deshawn Brown 60’)
Unused subs: 1. Kanye Lazarus (GK)
SOURCE: ttfootball.org