Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) South Zone champions Presentation College San Fernando cruised into the semi-finals of their zonal Coca Cola InterCol competition with a comfortable 3-0 whipping of newly-promoted Fyzabad Secondary yesterday at Mannie Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella.
It was hardly the kind of perfomance expected from ’Pres’, who made it all the way to the SSFL ’Big Five’ final before a tough 2-0 loss at the hands of St Augustine Secondary. But ’Fyzo’ barely threatened their opponents and when they were reduced to ten men in the second half, perhaps harshly so, Presentation were left to finish off what remained of yet another wounded South Zone victim.
A late first half strike by Kevin Moodie gave Pres the advantage at the interval, while Kai Pope-Cupid and Tyler Scipio finished off their opponents with well-taken goals.
Presentation will now face Shiva Boys College, who triumphed 2-0 over Princes Town Secondary through a pair of Joshua Bachan second half goals in the other match of yesterday’s double-header. They will clash tomorrow in the South Zone ’semis’.
An uninspired opening half went Pres’s way, mainly because Fyzabad did not have the gusto to attack and largely sat back to defend. When they did venture forward, poor ball control and passing limited their chances of surprising the match favourites.
Moodie was denied by Jermal Dubarry and Tristan Khan hit the net for Pres in an offside position. Captain Wesley John was also denied in the six-metre area, while Cupid was twice stopped by the legs of Fyzo goalkeeper Elrich Newton in the same play from point-blank range at the near post.
Moodie settled Pres’s nerves in the 43rd, beating Newton one-on-one near the penalty spot.
Fyzabad held their own well in the early part of the second period and even had an Aric Fortune free kick saved in the 50th. But all chances of a comeback were ended when Leston Moses was sent off four minutes later for his second bookable offence, a handball that hardly seemed intentional.
Cupid doubled Pres’s advantage 11 minutes later through a feed across goal from Moodie, after the midfielder collected on the left flank from Khan and left Newton for dead on the ground.
John hit the post, Khan dragged wide and Arnim Perreira also missed the mark for Pres, while at the other end substitute Angel Williams had a rare Fyzo shot saved by Wesley Douglas in the Pres goal. Douglas also leapt at full stretch to keep out a clearance from his own defender, sub Mike Romario.
Five minutes from time Scipio blasted home a failed clearance from 21 metres to put the result beyond doubt.
Pres won easily in the end, but will need to raise their game when they face what is expected to be a much tougher challenge from Shiva Boys in tomorrow’s South InterCol semi-final.
Yesterday’s InterCol results:
South Zone
Presentation (S’Do) 3 (Kevin Moodie 43rd, Kai Pope-Cupid 65th) v Fyzabad 0
Shiva Boys 2 (Joshua Bachan 51st, 62nd) v Princes Town 0
Central Zone
Gasparillo 1 v Waterloo 1--Waterloo won 5-3 on penalties
Tabaquite Sec defeated Marabella South Sec by default
Girls InterCol
Tobago Zone
Scarborough 2 v Roxborough 1
Signal Hill 5 v Bishop’s 1
Today’s Fixtures:
East Zone
St Augustine Secondary vs Barataria South Secondary.
Arima North Secondary vs Trinity College East
Pres Sando start campaign.
T&T Express Reports.
BG T&T Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) ’Big Five’ runners-up Presentation College San Fernando will make their debut in the Coca Cola InterCol today when they face Pleasantville Secondary from 3 p.m. at Manny Ramjohn Stadium, the first match of a double-header at the Marabella venue.
’Pres’ would want to deliver a flawless performance against their little-fancied opponents after seeing St Benedict’s College and San Juan North Secondary get dumped from the tournament by Siparia Secondary and Sangre Grande Secondary, respectively, teams who have been demoted to the SSFL Senior Division for 2010.
Also playing at ’Mannie Ramjohn’ will be Princes Town East Secondary, who face off against Shiva Boys Hindu College, the winners prolonging their season, the losers having their last match.
And in the Central Zone, four teams have their season on the line.
Marabella South Secondary and Tabaquite Secondary meet at 3 p.m. at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, before Gasparillo Secondary and Waterloo Secondary clash at the same venue from 5 p.m.
Among the girls, Fyzabad Anglican and Moruga Secondary meet from 3 p.m. at Skinner Park, San Fernando in a replay of their South Zone quarter-final, to determine who will play Point Fortin East Secondary in Thursday’s semi-final.
In Tobago, the semi-final double-header at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, originally scheduled for yesterday, will be played today. First, Scarborough Secondary tackle Roxborough Secondary from 3 p.m., and Signal Hill meet Bishop’s High School from 5 p.m.
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