Tiki tazza: Saints spank Gustine; Benedict’s down E/Mucurapo


St Mary’s College was in a “razza tazza” mood tonight as the boys in stripes kicked off their 2014 SSFL Premier Division season with an emphatic 3-0 win over St Augustine Secondary at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.

Photo: St Augustine striker Anthony Samuel (centre) manages to keep his legs after a slide tackle from St Mary's College midfielder Ethan Shim (right). Looking on is CIC right back Siddiq Manzano. (Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
Photo: St Augustine striker Anthony Samuel (centre) manages to keep his legs after a slide tackle from St Mary’s College midfielder Ethan Shim (right).
Looking on is CIC right back Siddiq Manzano.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)

To say the “Green Machine” never got out of first gear would be an understatement. More like St Augustine captain Joshua Marshall could not even locate the ignition.

At the other end, St Mary’s midfielder Ethan Shim had on his dancing boots as his fluorescent orange tugs twisted and twirled around a bamboozled St Augustine backline. If this is what “tiki tazza” looks like, the Saints will be a handful this season.

In the earlier match of a Hasely Crawford double header, St Benedict’s College downed East Mucurapo Secondary 2-0 in a largely forgettable affair apart from a sizzling Shaquille Williams strike on the hour mark. Neither team ever got into its flow although Mucurapo midfielder Travell Edwards looked a decent prospect when in possession.

Some good flank work from Benedict’s midfielder Stephen Ashby created a simple opener for Mariba Des Cartes in the 31st minute. And Williams produced a touch of quality in the 60th minute with a sizzling left footer into the far corner from 22 yards.

There was plenty to appreciate in the second match, though, as St Mary’s easily saw off a tentative St Augustine outfit. Chinua Bernard got on the end of an Aaron Noel through pass to put the Saints ahead with a cool finish in the fourth minute. And things fell apart for the Green Machine after that.

Photo: East Mucurapo Secondary forward Kathon St Hillaire (right) tries to keep the ball from St Benedict's defender Rondell Payne. (Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
Photo: East Mucurapo Secondary forward Kathon St Hillaire (right) tries to keep the ball from St Benedict’s defender Rondell Payne.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)

Shim first caught the eye with a fierce, lunging tackle in the ninth minute that seemed to have started at City Gate. St Augustine striker Anthony Samuel was nimble enough to avoid full contact. But he might have counted his legs after just in case.

St Mary’s doubled its advantage in the 15th minute as Noel and Bernard successfully switched roles. This time, Jamiel Williams crossed low from the right flank and Bernard relayed the ball to Noel at his left. There was still some work to do but Noel breezed past his marker with a step over before planting the ball low in the far corner for the second item.

It was slick, attractive stuff from St Mary’s. But then the St Augustine players never seemed to consider inconveniencing their opponents by, for one thing, tackling. And, midfielder Jesse Joseph excepted, the eastern team was woefully short on offensive ideas; and only threatened on corner kicks.

Shim liked the look of this unfolding story. And when he hit his stride, midway through the second half, there was never going to be a comeback for the one-paced Green Machine.

To call Shim a box-to-box midfielder would sell him short, he wanted to be wherever the ball was—although he seemed suspiciously keener on drifting towards whichever flank held the most supporters. Apart from an eye for the audience, Shim had a flair for the dramatics; and he was fortunate not to have been booked after repeatedly embellishing minimal contact from his opponents with choreographed somersaults to the ground.

That apart, Shim showed cleverness and charisma in midfield and was the wind in the sails of a promising St Mary’s team. He got the final goal too in the 59th minute as he drove through the legs of St Augustine goalkeeper Michael Logie after some intricate interplay that included Sebastien Cabral and Noel.


By then, St Augustine coach Michael Grayson had surely summoned a tow truck.

(Teams)

St Mary’s College (4-1-4-1): 1.Kristopher Donaldson (GK); 5.Rickel Dixon; 12.Siddiq Manzano, 15.Jerome Dempster-Babb, 2.Marcus Mottley, 21.Nathan Harte, 8.Ethan Shim (80.Howard Sabga, 85), 10.Aaron Noel, 7.Jamiel Williams (16.Jonathan Bharat 62), 11.Sebastien Cabral (14.Tyler Kirton 85),  9.Chinua Bernard.

Unused substitutes: 24.Nicholas Ramdin, 19.Jean Marc De Souza, 18.Bryant Van Low, 6.Joshua Da Silva.

Coach: Jason Edwards

 

St Augustine Secondary (4-1-4-1): 1.Michael Logie (GK); 2.Zion Phillips (12.Brandon Reyes 61), 4.Ainsworth Grant, 17.Zion Holder, 13.Romario Villafana; 5.Joshua Marshall (captain); 7.Keishawn Marcellin, 8.Jesse Joseph (11.Keno Samuel 80), 14.Tyriq Alexander, 9.Anthony Samuel, 10.Shakun Hanley (18.Dike Wilson 72).

Unused substitutes: 22.Kurt Maloney, 16.Kendall Borneo, 15.Nyamekye Martin.

Coach: Michael Grayson

 

2014 SSFL Premier Division

(Wed Sep 3)

St Benedict’s College 2 (Mariba Des Cartes 31, Shaquille Williams 60), East Mucurapo Secondary 0 at Hasely Crawford

St Mary’s College 3 (Chinua Bernard 4, Aaron Noel 15, Ethan Shim 59), St Augustine 0 at Hasely Crawford

 

Upcoming fixtures

(Thu Sep 4)

Trinity College East vs St Anthony’s College, 3.45 pm, Trincity;

San Juan North vs Naparima College, 3.45 pm, San Juan;

Presentation (S/F’do) vs Arima North, 3 pm, Guaracara Park; Shiva Boys vs Fatima College, 5 pm, Guaracara Park.

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About Lasana Liburd

Lasana Liburd is the managing director and chief editor at Wired868.com and a journalist with over 20 years experience at several Trinidad and Tobago and international publications including Play the Game, World Soccer, UK Guardian and the Trinidad Express.

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20 comments

  1. Is it possible for you to post the complete fixtures for the next month, say?

  2. Lol. We will see Pres soon Anthony Sherwood… But not today! Soon though.

  3. Lasana is wired868 covering the current national champions today in south?

  4. Huzzie used to be a big goal scorer for St Mary’s in his Inter Col days/ college league. Still supports his Alma Mater. Still have his blue and white stripes too.

  5. Good going Trevor Spicer, St Mary’s Assistance Coach

  6. $40 to see college football now? And not even Intercol. Damn. Times have changed. Well done Saints! (Mary’s that is)

  7. This was at the Hasely Crawford with $40 a ticket. I don’t think there were 2,000 people there. Smallish crowd.

  8. Lasana what was the size of the crowd? I’m thinking that the teams that are playing at school based grounds will attract some pretty big crowds this year…

  9. Let me help u start tmrws write up. Pres 3-0

  10. Interested to see Arima because North East Stars recruited some real talent from there last season. Hope they do well.
    Benedict’s v East Mucurapo was really poor. But it is early in the season I suppose.

  11. Ok Las… claim yuh Saints. I eh like Gustine in nothing. If not for that ass hole of a principal Grayson would still be in Arima. Either way I hope my boys represent tomorrow.

  12. They razzled and dazzled tonight! As I told Brent Bennett and Carlos Lee, Grayson was my coach when I did A’s in Arima. But I started off with Perkins at CIC! 🙂

  13. Talk big sides na. Presentation College Lions.

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