TWO late goals from St Benedict’s College saw the La Romaine Lions claw back to snatch a 2-1 victory over Queen’s Royal College and maintain pole position atop the Secondary Schools’ Football League (SSFL) premiership standings when round nine action kicked off on October 9.
A 79th-minute goal from Derrel Garcia saw St Benedict’s draw level with the hosts, who went ahead courtesy a 63rd-minute strike from Stephon James. However, with just three minutes to end of regulation time, Josiah Ochoa found the back of the net for the visitors as he latched on to a loose ball at the far post, to affirm their place atop the 16-team table.
The result saw St Benedict’s climb to 25 points while second-placed and defending SSFL Fatima College kept in the hunt with a 6-2 thrashing of hosts Signal Hill (eight pts) in Tobago.
Fatima (19 pts) remain six points behind the leaders while third-ranked Presentation College San Fernando, also on 19 pts, kept pace with a 5-1 thumping of St Mary’s at Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella.
Arima North (17 pts) maintained their position in fourth as they also handed cellar-placed Miracle Ministries (three pts) a heavy 5-0 defeat at the Arima Velodrome.
Additionally, a 2-0 win for St Anthony’s (15 pts) against hosts Trinity East (six pts) saw them climb from sixth to fifth as the Tigers roared to victory.
Two goals in either half from Andell Fraser separated the two teams. Fraser scored just before the half-time break in the 42nd minute and bagged another four minutes into the second half.
Despite QRC’s (13 pts) loss to St Benedict’s, they held on to sixth while St Augustine’s (13 pts) 3-0 victory over East Mucurapo (six pts) saw them climb to seventh.
Meanwhile, on a heavy surface at Lewis Street in San Fernando, now eighth-ranked Naparima College (12 pts) dropped points as visiting Speyside Secondary (five pts) squeezed out a 1-1 result in the dying minutes.
After an evenly contested first half, Naps found it hard to penetrate the Tobagonian backline. However, the south team broke the deadlock in the 76th minute as a leaping Naps skipper Israel Joseph latched on to a well-placed corner with his head, to score past a diving Speyside goalkeeper E. Richards.
But in the 87th minute, substitute striker J. Bernard rifled a powerful, low shot from outside the penalty area which Naps’ goalkeeper Tyrese Romain got a hand to, but couldn’t hold on, as the ball slipped under him and into the net.
Malick (11 pts) also moved from ninth to 11th as they edged San Juan North (nine pts) 4-3 at St Anthony’s Grounds in Westmoorings.
Round ten matches kick off on October 12.
SOURCE: T&T Newsday
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