Uitvlugt Secondary sealed their berth to the Region #3 semi-final round after edging Leonora Technical Institute (LTI) 2-0 in a physical affair yesterday in the seventh annual Digicel Schools Football Championships.
The fixture, which was staged at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora, was anything but a classic as both teams struggled to create opportunities against robust defending.
The large viewership would have to wait until the second period for the fixture to come alive with Uitvlugt given a golden opportunity to break the deadlock in the 50th minute from the penalty mark, following a rash challenge inside the right of the box.
Tasked with the responsibility, Jonathan Leitch spurned the chance as he fired his tame effort straight at the goalkeeper Jasper Medas much to the disappointment of his teammates.
The miss didn’t prove too costly as Uitvlugt opened the scoring in the 55th minute through Scion Prince. It was a predatory like finish from the forward into the centre of the net after a simple strike from the left side was pushed into his path by Medas. On the other side, LTI missed a golden opportunity to level proceedings in the 64th minute through Odel Duncan. Latching on to a pass inside the left of the box from a flicked on right side cross, the midfielder despite being unchallenged, hastily fired his effort wide of the left corner. LTI was made to pay for their earlier failure as Daniel Floy sealed the result four minutes onward with a moment of brilliance. Racing down the left side, Floy skipped past four challenges while cutting into the centre of the box, before stabbing past the onrushing Medas.
Meanwhile, Vergenoegen gaied a walkover from Essequibo Islands. Over at the Ministry of Education ground, Morgan Learning Center humbled Cummings Lodge 8-1, whilst Queenstown gained a walkover from Richard Ishmael. At the Beterverwagting (BV) ground, Buxton Youth Developers hammered Lancaster Secondary 7-2. At the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground, Bourda, Pure Masters made light work of Ascension 7-0, while Lodge Secondary dismantled Charlestown 5-0. The tournament continues today at various venues.
