Shavon Diaz and Kyle Thomas scored second-half items as Shiva Boys moved a step closer to retaining their South Zone Secondary Schools Football League Coca-Cola InterCol crown, after blanking Pleasantville 2-0 in their semifinal at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella, yesterday.
Diaz opened the scoring on the hour mark against a plucky Pleasantville line-up while Thomas added the insurance item 12 minutes later to secure a second win in six days over the same team.
This after both teams were forced to replay last week’s semifinal match which ended in favour of Shiva 4-0.
Following Shiva’s win last Friday, Pleasantville appealed to the SSFL’s Disciplinary Committee on the grounds that a Shiva Boys player, who received a red card in his school’s 5-0 win over Moruga in the quarterfinal stage was not eligible to play in the semifinal.
Shiva, however, claimed that they were instructed that the player was in fact eligible to play from a member of the league’s committee, a decision which was supported by the league’s disciplinary committee and which ultimately led to the decision that the match be replayed rather be given as a win Pleasantville.
Due to the match being replayed, the final which was originally carded for yesterday will now be played on Monday against reigning South Zone league champion Presentation College of San Fernando which edged St Benedict’s College 3-2 in Friday’s other semifinal. The match will take place at Marabella from 4 pm.
Today, St Anthony’s College will be favourites to complete the North Zone double for yet another season when it faces surprise finalist and league debutant, Diego Martin North at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo from 4 pm.
While the “Westmooring Tigers” will be fancied to claim a second straight zonal double they will know all too well, that their Diego Martin North rivals, will not be a team to be taken lightly, after both teams played to 0-0 draws twice during the league campaign.
In the previous round, the Tigers, the reigning zonal and national InterCol holders, battled past St Mary’s 5-4 on penalty-kicks while league debutants, Diego Martin North overcame Trinity College, 11-10 on sudden-death penalties after a 1-1 draw at the end of regulation time.
At stake for the winner of today’s final is a semifinal meeting with the South Zone winner on Wednesday at Marabella from 4 pm.
Newly crowned Central Zone InterCol winners, Chaguanas North is already through to the semis where it awaits the winner of tomorrow’s lone quarterfinal between Tobago winner, Speyside and East champion, St Augustine which takes place at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, from 4 pm.
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