St Benedict’s College and San Juan North Secondary will go into the Tiger Tanks-sponsored Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Premier Division National Semifinals as top seeds after finishing as winners of their respective eight-team round-robin groups, on Tuesday.
In the playoffs, St Benedict’s will meet fellow southerners, Presentation College of San Fernando while San Juan North faces Fatima College.
At St Mary’s College Ground, Serpentine Road, St Clair, St Benedict’s used goals from Rayshawn Crichlow, Darren Griffith, Jaden Grant, and Derrelle Garcia to defeat fellow southerners Pleasantville Secondary, who had Daniel Jones on target later on.
The win for St Benedict’s carried their points tally to 19 from seven matches, and ahead of Fatima College on goal-difference (plus-31 to plus-29) after the latter’s narrow 3-2 win away to St Anthony’s College despite playing more than 60 minutes with ten men after goalkeeper Tristan Edwards was red carded by referee Rashby Mc Phie.
Down at St Anthony’s College Ground, Westmoorings, captain Christian Bailey opened the scoring with a header in the 20th minute and Yohance Atherton made it 2-0 four minutes later.
Goalkeeper Edwards was then issued a straight red card for a professional foul as the last man, and from the resulting penalty, Russel Francois pulled a goal back for the Tigers, beating substitute goalkeeper Tyrese Romain.
Eight minutes before the half-time whistle, Jesse Hospedales conceded an own to put the host on level terms, but in the second-half despite playing a man down, it was Fatima who grabbed all three points in the pouring rain with Kheba Romany, hammering home a left-footed strike in the 62nd.
The defeat left the Tigers on six points with a match against Carapichaime East Secondary, who went under to dethroned champions Naparima College 2-1 to play with the loser facing the possibility of contesting the relegation playoffs as the seventh-placed finisher in the group, along with Pleasantville who also has a match against Speyside left to play.
Speyside guaranteed its survival with a 3-2 win over relegated St Augustine Secondary in the other Group A match.
At the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, San Juan North ended at the top of Group B on goal-difference after battling to a 1-1 draw with fellow qualifiers Presentation.
With both teams already assured of qualification, the battle was on to see who would be the top seeds ahead of the semifinals, and it was Presentation who struck the first blow through Daniel Quashie in the eighth minute, only for Jardiel Joseph to level things up for San Juan four minutes later.
Both teams then failed to find a winner which meant, San Juan stayed top on goal-difference from Presentation as well after both teams also ended with 19 points from their seven matches played.
At the other of the Group B table, Moruga has already been relegated after ending with one point and will be joined by the loser of the playoff between seventh-placed East Mucurapo, and the Group A seventh-placed team.
Yesterday’s SSFL results:
GROUP A:
St Benedict’s 4 (Rayshawn Crichlow, Darren Griffith, Jaden Grant, Derelle Garcia) vs Pleasantville 1 (Daniel Jones)
St Anthony’s 2 (Russel Francois 28th pen, Jesse Hospedales 37th) vs Fatima 3 (Christian Bailey 20th, Yohance Atherton 24th, Kheba Romany 62nd)
Speyside 3 (Tyrell Moore, Shyon George, Jarlon Toppin) vs St Augustine 2 (Jordan Ferdinand, Marcel Valentine)
Naparima 2 (Aklilu Joseph 45+2, Aidan Ramnarine 85th) vs Carapichaima 1 (Emmanuel Edwards 16th)
GROUP B:
San Juan North 1 (Jardiel Joseph 12th) vs Presentation 1 (Daniel Quashie 8th)
Current standings:
Group A:
Place*Teams*P*W*D*L*F*A*Pts
1*St Benedict’s*7*6*1*0*34*3*19
2*Fatima*7*6*1*0*33*4*19
3*Naparima*7*5*0*2*25*5*15
4*Speyside*6*3*0*3*10*21*9
5*St Anthony’s*6*2*0*4*8*14*6
6*Pleasantville*6*1*1*4*7*16*4
7*Carapichaima East*6*1*1*4*9*30*4
8*St Augustine*7*0*0*7*8*41*0
Group B:
Place*Teams*P*W*D*L*F*A*Pts
1*San Juan North*7*6*1*0*27*3*19
2*Pres (San F’do)*7*6*1*0*15*3*19
3*Trinity East*7*4*0*3*15*5*12
4*QRC*7*3*1*3*18*17*10
5*Malick*7*2*1*4*11*16*7
6*Chaguanas North*7*2*1*4*7*25*7
7*East Mucurapo*7*2*0*5*11*17*6
8*Moruga*7*0*1*6*4*22*1
Remaining Round-Robin matches:
Group A:
St Anthony’s vs Carapichaima East
Speyside vs Pleasantville
National Premier Division semifinals: - Date to be determined, Venue: Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo
St Benedict’s College vs Presentation College
San Juan North vs Fatima College
Leading scorers:
14 - Larry Noel (San Juan North)
8 - Tarik Lee (St Benedict’s)
6 - Jaheim Faustin (Trinity East), Chaim Williams (Fatima)
5 - Naparima O’Garro, Kanye Francis (Naparima), Khaleem Prince (Trinity East), Zion Harley (East Mucurapo), Jaden Grant (St Benedict’s), Kheba Romany (Fatima)
4 - Caleb Boyce (Presentation), Kirziah Myers (Carapichaima East), Christian Bailey (Fatima)
3 - Kedell Jones (San Juan North), Omari Campbell, Joshua Mason, Michael Chaves (Fatima), J’Lon Matthews (Malick), Aadah Barclay (Presentation), Ephraim Brown, Josiah Ochoa, Nicholas Bobcome, Derelle Garcia, (St Benedict’s), Mussadiq Mohammed (QRC), Maalik Jarvis (East Mucurapo), Jarlon Toppin (Speyside)
2 - Milz Johnson, Tyrell Moore (Speyside), Tau Lemsee, Aydon Caruth, Stephon James, Teshaun Franklyn (QRC), Joshua Miller, Theo Crovador (St Anthony’s), Lindell Sween, Jardiel Joseph (San Juan North), Israel Joseph, Jabari Forbes, Andres France (Naparima), Alex Piper (St Augustine), Ethan Trotman (Carapichaima East), Justin Lewis (Chaguanas North), Alijah Nunes, Jaden Williams, Aidan De Gannes (Fatima), Oba Samuel (Malick), Brandon Collymore (Moruga), Daniel Jones (Pleasantville), Marcel Valentine (St Augustine)
1 - Terrell Rajoon, Jelani Felix, Josiah Cooper, Aidan Ramnarine, Aklilu Joseph (Naparima), Jameel Cooper, Isaiah Nicholas, Theron O’Brian, Jordan Ferdinand (St Augustine), Reyes Gray, Lenox Eastman, Shyon George (Speyside), Mordacia Forde, Russel Francois, Aadon Wilson-Wright (St Anthony’s), Lendelle Baptiste, Jabari Bramble, J. Duncan, Tyrese Manswell, Jeremiah Gabriel (Malick), Mikel Toussaint, Al-Kalipha Henry (East Mucurapo), Santana Smith, Tyrell Thompson, Joshua Figaro (Trinity East), Rayshawn Crichlow, Darren Griffith, Jeremiah Nile, Tyrique Lucas (St Benedict’s), Nathan Achin, Luke Correia, Yohance Atherton, Jose Attong, Justin Alcantara (Fatima), Micah Braithwaite, Daniel Quashie, Malik Braithwaite, Mackeil Edwards, Levi Jones, Vaughn Clement (Presentation), Zakari King, Nathan Quashie, Mikel Cardinal, Zion Aberdeen, Micah Nelson, Rashaun Doobay (QRC), Elizsha Rogers, Rondell Harewood, Kent Guy (San Juan North), Hezekiah John (Chaguanas North), Josiah Hypolite, Tyrese David, Emmanuel Edwards (Carapichaima East), Kelon Williams, Tyrese Phillip, Antonio Noreiga, J’quan Edwards, Jadon Dorsett (Pleasantville)
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