Former Soca Warriors winger Nathan Lewis scored a double for his Maloney Eagles team on Sunday as they powered their way to a 5-2 win over Trincity Nationals to maintain a one-point lead in the Eastern Football Association (EFA) league with a solitary match to go.
Maloney (22 points) placed second in the EFA last season, but they can seal the title and the $25,000 top prize on November 12 when they meet the cellar-placed Zebulun FC in their final game of the current campaign. Playing the struggling Trincity team at the Maloney Recreation grounds, Lewis, 33, scored either side of halftime for the hosts to take his league tally to nine goals. Kervyn Coa also scored a brace for Maloney, who overcame an early one-goal deficit against Trincity after a strike by the league's top scorer Jiron Francis.
The second-placed Malabar Young Stars (21 points) did their best to stay on the heels of the high-flying Maloney team as they whipped United Coaching Academy (UCA) by a 4-2 margin in a wild encounter in D'Abadie. All six goals were scored in the second half in the contest and UCA even held a 2-1 lead in the 71st minute after a double strike by midfielder Jervaughn Drakes. Jorel Grant, Terrell Neptune and flanker Renaldo Francois scored in the dying stages of the game as Young Stars staged a comeback to keep their slim title hopes alive. Young Stars are guaranteed a second-place finish at minimum and will play the third-placed CG Poseidon (16 points) on the league's final day.
Poseidon did their damage early and often versus Zebulun on Sunday, as they scored all six of their goals in the first half in a thumping 6-1 win. Lejean Lezama scored a brace to lead Poseidon to the big win.
At the Eddie Hart ground in Tacarigua, Heatwave FC (13 points) and Malabar FC (eight points) played to an exciting 2-2 draw, with the latter team salvaging a point thanks to second-half goals by Jamel Hargeaves and Miquel Williams.
Creek SCC (15 points) moved up to fourth on the ten-team table without kicking a ball on the weekend, as they won by default against SKHY FC who failed to prepare their ground in time for the fixture.
The second-placed team will receive $15,000 and the third-placed team will get $10,000.