QPCC and Point Fortin Youth Academy topped their respective groups when groups A and B of the 2023/24 Next Level Consulting Ltd (NLCL) under-19 community cup concluded on February 11 (Carnival Sunday).
QPCC amassed 29 points from their 12 matches to top group A, with Point Fortin racking up 23 points from ten matches to finish atop the six-team group B. The top three teams from groups A and B both booked automatic spots for next month’s quarter-finals.
At the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, QPCC took their season’s tally to 53 goals when they got a thumping 6-0 win over the cellar-placed Cantaro United, who finished group play without a point to their name. Both Luke Correia and Steven Griffth scored a double for QPCC, with former T&T under-17 player Aydon Caruth also finding the back of the net for the Parkites.
In the second game of a doubleheader in Malabar, Athletic International Academy (AIA) consolidated third spot in group A when they hammered the fifth-placed Malabar Young Stars by a 5-1 margin. The St Anthony’s College attacking pair of Theo Crovador and Jean-Marc Thomas scored two goals apiece as AIA finished the group phase of the competition on a high. AIA ended the group on 24 points, two behind two-time reigning champions Soccer Made Simple (26 points) and five points back of group winners QPCC.
Caledonia (20 points) maintained fourth spot in group A when they got a huge 7-2 win over Blast FC in a nine-goal affair at the Morvant recreation ground. Keiron Hinds scored a hat-trick to lead the Caledonia charge, with Leikwon David also registering a double to leave the visiting Blast team empty-handed.
With their fourth-place finish in the group, Caledonia will now meet group B’s fourth-place team, Made in La Brea, in a playoff match at the Mahaica Sporting Complex, Point Fortin on Thursday for a spot in the quarter-final.
Point Fortin did not need to kick a ball to secure top spot in group B on Sunday, as they won their game against table-proppers Moruga FC by default.
Gasparillo Youths (22 points) finished a close second in group B as they came from behind to get a 3-1 win over Kamillionare FC at St Mary’s recreation ground in Moruga. Kamillionare got a 15th-minute lead through Kemarley George, but Gasparillo responded in emphatic fashion as Jerrell Griffith scored three unanswered goals to complete the comeback win for his team.
In a battle between the third-place Central Soccer World (CSW) and Made in La Brea, the former team displayed their dominance as they stormed to a 5-1 comeback victory in Balmain, Couva. Jalon Jones opened the scoring for Made in La Brea in the seventh minute, but CSW took full control of the game thereafter as they led by a 2-1 margin at the half before adding three more goals in the second half. Jelani Stoute scored in either half for CSW as they finished group play on 19 points. Made in La Brea ended the group on 13 points.
In group C action in Tobago, Ball Blasters Youth FA (12 points) continued their perfect run with a 2-1 comeback win over Eagles FC at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet. Jarion Dennis scored in the 38th minute for Eagles, but second-half goals by Imanhi Forbes and Mario Pereira cut their flight short. Ball Blasters will be Tobago’s sole representative in the quarter-final.
SOURCE: T&T Newsday