Compre, Lions clash at ‘Hasely Crawford’

After Point Fortin East Secondary take on St Augustine Secondary from 3 p.m. for the girls’ InterCol title at the Mucurapo venue, the Premier Division teams will face off from 5 p.m., also at the “Hasely Crawford”.

Those teams met at that very stadium to kick off the 2014 season, and the “La Romaine Lions” ran away with a 2-0 victory over East Mucurapo.

St Benedict’s last played in a national final in 1998, when they snapped up the InterCol title, a year after losing the decider to then first-time finalists, St Anthony’s College at Queen’s Park Oval.

East Mucurapo tasted success last in 2008, when Kevin Molino led the team to a 3-1 win over Carapichaima East Secondary on two goals from star striker, the late Mutar Taylor, and a brilliant long-range free kick from the diminutive Terrence Clarke.

Both teams are looking for their third InterCol title, but unlike St Benedict’s, East Mucurapo have never tasted League success. St Benedict’s completed the League-InterCol double in 1967 for their other two national titles, while Mucurapo’s other national victory was in 1983.

While St Benedict’s have spent the season working themselves up to top physical conditioning, Mucurapo have been enhancing their mental game, which has seen them stop some of the League’s best—St Anthony’s College, St Mary’s College, Speyside Secondary and San Juan Secondary—after a dismal Premier Division campaign, where they were demoted.

For St Benedict’s coach Dexter Cyrus, himself a former national forward, he is pleased with his team’s season. But he has also advised his charges not take their opponents lightly.

“I don’t’ want our boys to be complacent,” Cyrus explained, “thinking that because we beat Mucurapo 2-0 (and) that we will beat them again at the same stadium. I don’t’ want them to think it’s the same Mucurapo team. They have about two or three new players.

“Also, teams are not scoring on them, although they are not scoring. Obviously they are doing something right defensively and that is keeping them in games. But we are in it to win it.”

At the other end of the field, Mucurapo manager Brinsley Hudson has seen his team’s confidence boosted, and hopes that will add the final piece of the InterCol puzzle to their game. He feels the match will be close with few goalscoring opportunities, and has vowed to take the attack to St Benedict’s.

East Mucurapo also want to make up for their previous loss to St Benedict’s and are further motivated by the fact that they have been relegated.

“We went through that with them and explained it (what it means to win the InterCol after being relegated), so they want it more to prove a point that we are still a champion team. It makes them a little more hungry to put their hands on this trophy.”

It makes for an interesting final today as well, with East Mucurapo’s “mind” ready to fight for supremacy against St Benedict’s “matter”.