Tournament favourites Tuschen-Up-Top Youths were sent packing from the Stag Beer five-a-side football tourney, going down to Showstoppers 5-4 on sudden death kicks in their quarterfinal match-up after normal and extra time finished at 4-4.
Dexroy Adams sent Showstoppers into the semi-final stage settling the outcome with the winning sudden death kick after penalty kicks had failed, finding the winners with the scores locked 3-3 at Vergenoegen Rice Mill Tarmac on Wednesday.
In the earlier exchanges, Marvin Josiah gave Showstoppers the initial lead when he found the back of the net in the very first minute. Up-Top-Youths responded in the 13th minute, levelling the score line through a John Waldron strike.
Adams pushed Showstoppers back into the lead, netting through a 21st- minute attempt. With their title aspirations slipping away, the Tuschen unit pushed the match into the extra time interval then Waldron sealed his double six minutes later.
Tuschen then took the lead for the first time in the fixture when Cleveland Forrester etched his name on the scorer’s sheet in the 33rd minute. It became 4-2 one minute later when Forrester netted his double.
However, the Showstoppers would cut the deficit to one in the 35th minute when Josiah completed his double. The fixture took on a further twist when Josiah levelled the score line in the 39th minute, completing a deserved hat trick in the process to push the fixture into spot-kicks.
With normal and extra time unable to decide the outcome, Showstoppers eventually prevailed on sudden death kicks to progress to the next round. They are now set to face off against the unbeaten New Road Eagles who defeated lone remaining Georgetown unit Broad Street by a 2-0 margin.
Jermin Junior opened the scoring for the Eagles when he netted in the 25th minute. The win was sealed four minutes later through a Leroy Pedro effort. The third match-up of the night saw Stewartville Gunners defeating arch-rivals Uitvlugt by an identical score line.
Orette Stephenson broke the deadlock for the Gunners, scoring through a 27th minute strike. Dwayne Charles would then put the fixture to rest in the 29th minute through a penalty kick conversion after Uitvlugt accumulated their allotted five fouls.
The Gunners will match skills with De Kinderen who upset home side Vergenoegen All-Stars 2-1 in the final match of the evening. Darrel Alexis netted the opener for De Kinderen through a third-minute strike. The home side then levelled the score line in the 16th minute as Orlanzo Henry netted. The outcome was settled in the 23rd minute as Alison Smith found the go-ahead winner.
The semi-final round of the event has been planned for today at the same venue. The grand finale will be hosted on Sunday September 7 at the same premises. Winners of the event will pocket $200,000.
