It was an evening of upset victories as Haynes Ballers and YMCA secured semi-final berths following hard-fought quarterfinal victories when the ExxonMobil/New Era Futsal Championship continued on Wednesday evening at the Retrieve Tarmac, Linden.
Tournament favourites Goal is Money and Hardknocks were unexpectedly sent packing due to respective dogged performances from their lesser-known foes.
Haynes Ballers upset the star-studded Goal is Money outfit 3-1. Emmanuel Atkins bagged a brace, while Romain Adams recorded the other conversion. On the other side, and despite all their offensive qualities, Goal is Money could only muster a singular goal, which emanated from the boot of Joel Isaacs.
Meanwhile, YMCA squeaked past traditional giant Hardknocks by a 9-8 score in the fixture, which required the use of the extra time interval. Jonah Simon was the main threat for YMCA, which was evident by his five-goal conversion, as he led all scorers in the encounter.
A brace from Kevin Gittens provided the required support, while Duquan Wilson and Ryan Noel recorded one goal apiece. For the loser, Georgetown recruit Pernell Schultz fashioned a helmet trick, while Omar Brewley tallied a double. Chipping in with one goal each was the experienced duo of John Waldron and Marley Major.
The event resumes today at the same venue as the semi-final section. LA Ballers will lock horns with the Young Gunners at 20:00, while YMCA will face off against the Haynes Ballers at 21:00. The winner will receive $1,000,000 and the championship trophy, while the runner-up will pocket $500,000 and the corresponding accolade. The third and fourth-place finishers will receive $200,000 and $100,000, respectively.
Results
Game-1
Goal is Money-1 vs. Haynes Ballers-3
Haynes Ballers scorers
Emmanuel Atkins-2
Romain Adams-1
Goal is Money scorer
Joel Isaacs-1
Game-2
Hardknocks-8 vs. YMCA-9
YMCA scorers
Jonah Simon-5
Kevin Gittens-2
Duquan Wilson-1
Ryan Noel-1
Hardknocks scorers
Pernell Schultz-4
Omar Brewley-2
John Waldron-1
Marley Major-1
Semi-final fixtures
LA Ballers vs. Young Gunners-20:00hrs
YMCA vs. Haynes Ballers-21:00hrs
