Tournament hosts Monedderlust FC and fellow Berbice Football Association (BFA) side Cougars FC recorded hard-fought victories when the Starlite Generation/Monedderlust FC second annual Berbice Cup knockout football event commenced on Saturday.
In matches at the No. #5 ground in West Coast Berbice, home side Monedderlust overcame East Cost Football Association (ECFA) unit Bakewell Buxton Stars 3-1 while Cougars got the better of Rosignol United in an all Berbice affair by a 4-3 score line.
In the feature contest, Delvon Sancho silenced the home support as he gave the East Coast of Demerara unit the lead with a conversion in the 45th+1 minute. Nonetheless the home side would restore parity to proceedings in the 64th minute as Travis Henry netted.
With the scores unchanged following the conclusion of the normal time interval, extra time was then required to decide the outcome. Monedderlust would then take the lead for the first time in the matchup as Kevin Layne Jr. netted in the 98th minute.
Eon Abel would then seal their berth to the final four stage, etching his name on the scorer’s sheet with a 117th minute attempt.
Meanwhile in the event opener, Sherwin Parris gave Cougars the early lead as he found the back of the net in the 28th minute. Rosignol United would then level the score line 12 minutes later as Desmond Weekes scored.
Shane Gangoo would then give Rosignol the lead for the very first time in the fixture through a 48th minute strike. However Cougars would quickly claw their way back into the matchup as Travis Thomas levelled the scores in the 66th minute.
The lead would then change hands once more as Roger Crandon of Cougars added his name on the scorer’s tab in the 83rd minute. The matchup would then be put beyond Rosignol side as Crandon sealed his second half brace two minutes later.
With the minutes ticking away, Rawle Caesar would eventually pull one back for Rosignol through a 90th minute conversion. Winners of the event will pocket $400,000 and the championship trophy while the runners-up will collect $300,000 and the respective title.
The third and fourth place finishers will walk away with $200,000 and $100,000 respectively. On the individual side, prizes will be awarded for the event’s most valuable players, top goal scorer, best defender and the best goalkeeper.
Prior to the commencement of the tourney, a march past featuring the competing teams was held.
