With a firm eye on participating in the KFC Goodwill Series as an added incentive, the 3rd edition of the eight-team GuyOil Secondary School Football League is set for a pulsating conclusion, with only two rounds remaining and three teams squarely in contention for the prestigious prize.
The impending fixtures – the penultimate leg of the 7-round tournament – are poised to play a pivotal role in deciding the eventual victor, as the top four teams, Christianburg/Wismar (1st), Golden Grove (2nd), President’s College (3rd), and North Ruimveldt (4th), are set to face-off in the top-of-the-table clashes.
Former champion Christianburg/Wismar sits atop the table with the slenderest of lead on 12 points and are pencilled to oppose third place outfit President’s College who are perched on 11 points, at 15:00 hours. A win on either side will go a long way in concretizing their respective ambitions of tournament glory.
Christianburg/Wismar, the storied school from the mining town of Linden, are statistically the tournament’s best, and most balanced team, given their exploits during the previous round. Despite incurring one loss, the Lindeners lead both numerical categories of note in the tournament.
From the attacking perspective, they have tallied 20 goals in five matches at an average of four conversions per contest. The closest challengers in this regard have only scored 11 times.
On the defensive end, the Christianburg/Wismar unit is even more impressive, as they have only conceded once. This is another tournament best, which highlights the expectation as being the favourite to lift the championship.
However, standing on the other side is the unbeaten and dogged President’s College outfit. Although they might not possess the statistical glamour of their reputable foe, President’s College has recorded a commendable nine goals in their campaign at a rate of 1.8 per fixture. This is the fifth-best record in the tournament.
On the defensive end, and despite being in possession of the third-best record in this section, improved performance will be required if a victory is to be realised, as they have conceded six times, which is an unwanted stat of 1.2 per match.
Meanwhile, at 16:30 hours, second place (11 points) Golden Grove who occupy that position owing to a superior goal differential, is tasked with overcoming the challenge on fourth-positioned North Ruimveldt (7 points).
If Christianburg/Wismar is statistically the best team in the tournament, Golden Grove, who is the other unbeaten team remaining, is certainly in the silver medal position, as they trail the Lindeners in both the offensive and defensive categories. From an attacking perspective, the East Coast Demerara heavyweight has registered 11 conversions at a rate of 2.2 goals per match, which is joint second-best in the tournament. On the defensive end, a similar indication of their competitive quality is highlighted, as they have only conceded three times, which translates to 0.8 goals per encounter. This is a phenomenal record in its own right.
On the other side, North Ruimveldt has hindered their own campaign following a run of two consecutive wins, and a draw. The emerging outfit was disqualified for fielding an ineligible player in their previous victory, which resulted in the loss of three points, and possibly the championship.
A two-top finish is certainly still possible, though they will certainly play a major role in deciding the eventual outcome of the competition, as a victory would derail Golden Grove’s campaign.
Offensively, they have registered 11 conversions at an average of 2.2 which mirrors their opponent, while eight concessions have been incurred by a backline that has undoubtedly been inconsistent.
At the bottom end of the table, cellar occupant, Friendship, will oppose 5th positioned Cummings Lodge at 12:00hrs, while sixth place Dolphin Secondary engages seventh-positioned West Ruimveldt at 13:30hrs.
All matches will be 70 minutes in duration during the one-round initiative. The eventual winner of the tournament will receive $500,000 for a school project and the championship trophy.
The second, third, and fourth-place finishers, will pocket $300,000, $200,000, and $100,000 respectively towards an initiative. On the individual side, awards will also be presented for the most valuable player, highest goal scorer, and best goalkeeper. The top two finishers in the event will qualify for the Goodwill International Championship. The tournament is also sponsored by Sterling Products Limited.
