It will be a clash of the multilaterals this evening, when defending champion Christianburg/Wismar battles North Ruimveldt in the championship match of the Milo Secondary School Football Tournament at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue, Thomas Lands, Georgetown.
Ruthless is the word that can be used to best describe the exploits of the Lindeners throughout the tournament. They dismissed Golden Grove, Carmel, and Cummings Lodge, en route to the championship encounter.
The numbers make for ominous reading, and clearly indicates the herculean task that awaits the challenging North Ruimveldt outfit.
On the offensive side, the Linden unit has recorded a remarkable 11 goals during the aforesaid three matches, which equates to 3.67 goals per match. Defensively, it only gets better, as they have yet to concede in the tournament, which solidifies their status as the favourite in the quest to retain the crown.
Head-coach Delon Peters during a pre-match comment said, “Our expectation is that we expect to win, but in order to do that, our execution must be on point.” He further stated that once his charges implement what was taught and practiced on the training pitch, the expectation of being successful is the likely outcome.
Similarly, Captain Omarion Ramsammy during brief remarks, stated, “We have to come out, work hard, and play hard to win.”
On the other hand, North Ruimveldt earned their maiden appearance in the final, following a semi-final victory over Dolphin Secondary. They have also defeated East and West Ruimveldt, as well as Canje during their knockout campaign.
From the attacking perspective, North Ruimveldt has recorded 12 goals at an impressive rate of four goals per match. However, it is on the defensive end where the question marks remain. Despite acquiring two clean sheets, they have allowed five goals in four matches at a rate of 1.25 conversions.
Head tactician Jeremy Garrett opined that even though Linden is a quality side, the team can emerge victorious once they focus and execute the game plan. Also, Captain Yannick Norton stated “We expect a good game and may the best team win.”
Meanwhile, in the third place encounter, Golden Grove will face off against Dolphin from 16:00hrs.
The victor of the event will collect $300,000, the championship trophy, and gold medals. The runner-up will pocket $200,000, the corresponding accolade, and silver medals. The third place finisher will receive $100,000, a trophy, and bronze medals while the fourth place side will walk away with $75,000 and a trophy.
The most disciplined team will be awarded a trophy. On the individual side, the most valuable player (MVP) will receive a pair of cleats and a trophy, while the highest goal scorer will receive an identical prize package. The best goalkeeper will receive a pair of gloves and a trophy.
