It took a great team effort from Guyana Industrial Training Centre (GITC) yesterday to edge out a strong Lodge Secondary 2-1 in a crucial match as play continued in the Digicel’s Schools Football Championship at Eve Leary Sport Club ground.
The third round Central Georgetown game saw early goal entry from Lodge Secondary, runners-up in the Scotiabank/Pepsi Schools Football Tournament, in the 5th minute through Stephan McLean.
Fashioning a few opportunities to equalise the score-line was GITC but efforts were in vain before Jamal McPherson slotted in his 12th-minute goal which befuddled Lodge’s custodian, Hackeem Roach.
After the equaliser, both sides played defensive football and GITC had the majority of the ball possession and their strikers at that time were unable to beat Roach in the 6-yards box. The half concluded at 1-1.
The resumption of the final was signalled by the referee and the players were aggressive knowing that a victory would give them bragging rights into the fourth round of the nation-wide competition.
Kevin Boters was one of the strikers for Lodge who tried to turn the tables on GITC. On the right flank of the field was Boters who received a useful pass from his team-mate but his shot at the uprights landed in the hands of Jamol Manning, GITC’s keeper.
Corwin Daniels would have broken the 1-1 score-line for the eventual winners but he was flocked by three defenders who locked him off which forced him to blast the ball at the nets but the ball found Roach’s gloves.
The dead heat was eventually broken when Eon Cummings profited from a worthy pass from Randy Layne in the 75th minute.
The goal was made possible when McPherson made a corner kick pass to Layne who later crossed to Cummings who made no mistake in leading his team to a sweet victory which surprised Lodge.
Meanwhile, St. George’s Secondary School led by striker, Ozeal Small, continued their winning ways in the tournament after overcoming Kingston Secondary 3-2.
A first half goal by Simon Emmanuel in the 31st minute gave Kingston the edge but Quincy Lawrence replied in the 47th minute.
Kingston’s Orin Yard broke the stalemate in the 58th minute. It took approximately 15 minutes for St George’s to respond when Small through a penalty kick scored in the 73rd minute. He was back-up by Royston Dublin 3 minutes later for the final goal.
