Tournament favorite Hard-Knocks will oppose NK Ballers today in the final of the New Era Entertainment/Mohamed’s Enterprise Futsal Tournament, following semifinal wins on Thursday at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) Tarmac, Linden.
Perfect conditions were at hand for the matches which were initially rescheduled due to persistent rainfall on Wednesday.
The pristine settings led to an historic achievement, as the large fandom which swarmed the venue witnessed a combined 37 goal encounter, as Hard-Knocks downed Dave and Celina All-Stars 23-14.
Defense never existed in the meeting which was the highest ever accumulated total recorded in a local Futsal encounter.
It was a highlight reel of conversions for both sides especially Hard-Knocks, with the Golden Jaguars duo of Pernell Schultz and Daniel Wilson combining for an impressive 17 goals.
Schultz was in scintillating form, as he tallied nine goals, the highest to date in a single match in the event. He was closely followed by Wilson, who also sparked as he scored eight goals.
The next best scorer was Trenton Lashley with a hat trick, while Colin Nelson tallied a double. Goalkeeper Sese Norville got into the scoring act with a conversion.
For the loser, Darrel George recorded a helmet trick, with Benjamin Opara and Kevin Phillips amassing respective hat-tricks.
Similarly, Darren Fraser bagged a double while Tevin McKenzie and Dellon Adams added one goal each.
On the other hand, NK Ballers bested High Rollers 7-5 in a rather routine encounter.
Donovan Francis amassed a hat trick while Keon Sears tallied a brace.
Chipping in with solitary strikes were Kenard Simon and Jamal Haynes. For High Rollers, Omar Brewley and Jeshawn Moore registered respective doubles while Jonah Simon scored once.
The losing semifinalists will now face-off in the third place playoff. Several exhibition matches are expected to be hosted prior to the final.
Winner of the event will collect $600,000 and a trophy, with the second, third and fourth place finishers copping $250,000, $100,000 and $50,000 respectively.
