Region #2 champs Charity Secondary earned a national quarterfinal berth in the Digicel Secondary Schools Championship, overcoming Region #1 holders Port Kaituma 3-2 yesterday in a national playoff at the Kumaka ground in Moruca.
Samson Culpepper recorded a brace in the ninth and 58th minutes while Barry Fraser supported with a solo effort in the 62nd minute. Scoring in a losing cause were Ishmael Glen and Mark Williams in the 24th and 44th minutes correspondingly.
Due to the win, Charity will faceoff with the winner of the Georgetown North Zone. In-front of the large gathering, the visitors took the initial lead, stunning the vocal viewership as Culpepper netted in sublime fashion.
Racing into the right side of the penalty area, Culpepper upon receiving a left sided cross which went over the head of the final defender, hammered his right footed effort into the roof of the goal after skillfully controlling the ball.
It almost became 2-0 for the visitors in the 15th minute as Ariel Chester was denied by a last-ditch tackle from the final defender Raymond Daniels, after bearing down in the centre of the box following a through-pass.
Charity Secondary came to rue earlier miss as Port Kaituma equalised through Glen, blasting a powerful attempt into the right hand corner from the top of the box, after pouncing on a botched clearance.
With the momentum shifting in the corner of Port Kaituma, Glen almost gave them the lead in the 34th minute compliments of a speculative 30 yard effort from the centre of the field, which fizzed narrowly wide of the right hand corner.
Nonetheless, they eventually ignited further celebrations from their faithful supporting cast as Williams netted one minute before half-time, finishing past the keeper into the right hand corner following a one-on-one situation, after a lobbed ball evaded the final defender.
Despite seizing the momentum going into the second period, Port Kaituma suffered an early concession as Culpepper equalised 13 minutes into the resumption, stabbing his effort just over the goal-line despite the desperate attempt at a clearance by the final defender, following a goal-mouth scramble.
The lead then changed sides four minutes later as Fraser found the back of the net, directing a powerful header into the centre of the goal, after collecting perfectly placed right sided cross from Culpepper within the box.
Port Kaituma almost restored parity to proceedings in the 81st minute as Carlos Marques unleashed a curling right footed free kick from 22 yards out in the centre of the field, which flew narrowly wide of the top left hand corner.
Nonetheless with the advantage in their corner, Charity Secondary employed staunch defensive tactics to see out the remaining minutes of the matchup and seal their place in the next round of the event.
