Region Four’s Institute of Professional Education (IPE) yesterday afternoon edged out Soesdyke Secondary 5-4 in the Digicel Schools Football nationwide tournament at the Grove Community Centre ground yesterday.
The game was a nail biter throughout and eventually boiled down to the crowd favourites IPE prevailing in the close encounter.
However it was Soesdyke Secondary which drew first blood when Tyrone Khan chipped in the first goal in the seventh minute.
Khan, the shortest player on the field, received a rich pass from his teammate just in front the six-yard box before gently tapping the ball out of the reach of IPE’s custodian Shawn Dominique.
The game took a swing when IPE’s Romario Welcome came on and quickly scored two goals to give his team the lead which, though, was short-lived.
Welcome netted in the 20th and 21th minutes for IPE before Soesdyke’s Dwayne Barker equalized in the 23rd minute.
Three minutes later IPE regained the lead through a Brian Bostiani strike in the 26th minute.
A double by IPE’s Kevin Williams in the 36th and 63rd minutes ensured IPE the victory although Soesdyke fought valiantly and scored two more goals through Cletus Johnson and Barker, (his second) in the 51st and 64th minutes.
Advancing along with IPE to the next round are Ash Education Trust (AST), Hope Secondary and Tagore Secondary.
AST from Region 5 destroyed No. 8 Secondary 8-0. Akeemo Watts scored a hat-trick in the third, 37th and 81st minutes; Jamaal August netted a double in 11th and 61st while Atlin Browne and Calvin Arthur scored in the 51st and 53rd minutes.
Hope Secondary crushed Shivita Business College 11—0 with a hat-trick from Kevin Garnett in the 15th, 37th and 54th minutes and doubles from Shamal Reece and Dirk McPherson in the 58th, 74th, 3rd and 39th minutes respectively.
Berbice’s Tagore defeated JC Chandisingh 5-0 in their encounter at the Skeldon Community Centre ground. Haslyn Grant netted a double for the winners in the 35th and 43rd minutes while Alvan Bourne, Shawn Clarke and Rodwell Fugerson scored in the 10th, 31st and 70th minutes respectively.
Play in Region 3 between West Demerara Secondary and Endeavour was cancelled.
