FATIMA College and Queen's Royal College advanced to the final of the 2024 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Coca-Cola north zone intercol competition after getting victories over a feisty Malick Secondary and outgoing north champions St Anthony's College at the Diego Martin Sporting Complex on November 14.
Both teams progressed to the final after getting tight wins, with Fatima defeating Malick 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller in the first game of a doubleheader, and QRC getting a late item to beat St Anthony's 1-0 to get revenge for their defeat in last year's north intercol final.
The Royalians and the "Westmoorings Tigers" appeared to be headed to the dreaded penalty shootout, but QRC attacker Phillip Nelson – the team's top scorer in the premier division campaign – scored at the end of regulation time to secure his team's spot in the final. It will be QRC's third straight trip to the north zone intercol final, after they lost 5-0 to Fatima in the 2022 final and were beaten via a penalty shootout by the Tigers last year.
When they meet the 2022 national intercol champions Fatima at the Diego Martin venue on November 21, QRC will be hoping they are third time lucky.
In their topsy-turvy semifinal encounter with Malick, Fatima got the winning goal in the 89th minute when defender Matthew Barrington converted from the spot after a handball in the area.
Fatima took an early lead in the game when attacker Luke Correia stylishly scored from close range in the second minute after Caden Trestrail played a splendid through pass.
Malick then scored a pair of goals via set pieces to go into the halftime break with a 2-1 lead, with skipper Jordan Ferdinand scoring a sublime volley in the 24th minute after Fatima failed to deal with a right-side croner. .
Trestrail, who scored 12 goals during the league campaign, made it 2-2 in the 49th minute with a thumping right-footed free kick just outside the box.
With Fatima going for broke as reigning SSFL Player of the Year Michael Chaves went close on two occasions just past the hour mark, Malick clinically struck on the counterattack in the 68th minute when Jeremiah Gabriel headed downward to make it 3-2 after meeting a precise Tyrese Manswell cross.
Fatima, who finished six points behind St Benedict's on the 2024 premier division table, weren't to be denied, though, and left back Micaiah Leach made it 3-3 with a smart effort at the back post in the 75th minute before Barrington got the vital goal with his calm right-footed penalty.
Malick were not rewarded despite their valiant efforts, and they finished the game with ten men as Daquon Thomas was sent off in second-half stoppage-time.
With the SSFL's boardroom decision on Benedict's star Derrel Garcia having the potential to sway the premier division crown towards Fatima, the latter team can ascend to north zone intercol supremacy once again with a victory over QRC next week.
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