Intercol 2017: St Mary’s and Fatima set up semifinal clash after wins over Mucurapo and Malick

St Mary’s College and Fatima College will renew their northern rivalry in the Coca Cola North Zone Intercol semifinals next Thursday, both schools today advancing from the quarterfinal round with comfortable wins over East Mucurapo Secondary and Malick Secondary respectively.

Back in 2014, Mucurapo proved to be ruthless giant-killers, copping the National Intercol title with a win over St Benedict’s College in the National Intercol finals. Today, though, coach Dale Saunders’ team had their lofty aspirations trampled upon as the “Saints” strolled away 3-1 victors at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port-of-Spain.

Meanwhile, Malick, titans themselves in their heyday, fell 0-3 to Fatima despite a combative display.

Fatima coach Wayne Sheppard was far from pleased with his team’s overall effort and attitude, though, and suggested that his charges had dodged a bullet with their sloppy display.

“The performance today was scrappy; it lacked discipline and it is actually one of the worst performances we have had for the season,” Sheppard told Wired868. “The team was given specific instructions as it relates to Malick—as they have some skilful players up top—and we went out there and tried to carry it out—for the first five minutes of the game only!”

Fatima led Malick 1-0 at half-time thanks to a fortuitous 34th minute effort by striker Mikhail McComie, who tapped home after a spectacular double save by Malick custodian Jaydon Taylor off an Andrew Abraham free kick.

For Sheppard, the opening goal encouraged his players to adopt an individualistic style of play. But he could not have been too upset with the 79th minute solo item which killed off the match as a contest.

Trinidad and Tobago National Under-15 attacker Jean-Heim McFee, who had struck the post with a thunderous effort in the first half, raced on to a long punt and shook off the attentions of a pair of Malick defenders before burying a low left-footer past Taylor.

Much to the chagrin of Malick coach Anthony Bartholomew, Fatima added gloss to the score-line four minutes later when their captain Joshua Araujo-Wilson swept in from close range after his younger brother, Justin, breezed past substitute Isaiah Sealey down the right flank.

At that point, Malick were already going for broke and their solid left-back Terique Reid had been pushed up the field.

Bartholomew congratulated his players for their effort and explained that, for disciplinary reasons, several of Malick’s better attacking players had been left on the bench.

“We had a little misunderstanding in the camp prior to the game,” Bartholomew said., “but the guys worked very hard. We didn’t pick up the pace like we normally do because I didn’t play guys who chose to be disrespectful [and got involved in a ‘court sweat’].

“We have to draw the line and know it’s football and not kicks thing going on.”

Sheppard will be keen to ready his own squad for the St Mary’s College test ahead of them. And he put Fatima fans on notice that they should not be fooled by his team’s 5-1 thumping of the Saints during the 2017 Premier Division league season.

“St Mary’s are a good, solid team and they have a coach who knows what he’s doing,” Sheppard warned. “We will not expect to roll over them at all.”

Sheppard had had one of the best seats in the house to watch St Mary’s defeat Mucurapo in the opening game of today’s Hasely Crawford double-header.

Mucurapo, recently promoted to the SSFL top flight, were second-best throughout despite a gritty performance. But they did make St Mary’s earn their passage to the semifinals, 55th minute Jelani Ferary free kick cancelling out Tyrese Spicer’s sweet opening volley.

There was a stark contrast between the contest’s first two goals. Spicer had expertly sent his left-footed shot past Joshua Davis while Ferary’s trickling set piece somehow managed to beat Regaleo Holder when a good, old-fashioned long barrier would have sufficed.

The St Mary’s custodian was able to redeem himself three minutes later, though, pulling off an excellent reflex save to deny Mucurapo attacker Zion McLeod from point-blank range after skipper Kevon Edwards’ deft pass had teed him up nicely.  The level of difficulty for Holder’s save was no higher than the level of difficulty for the media in deciphering the number on the back of each St Mary’s player. Saints’ coach Ryan Shim later assured Wired868 that his team will get a new and improved kit for next season.

Deciphering kit numbers certainly wasn’t on the agenda for Mucurapo fans, a posse of their girls announcing to their opponents that they had brought “de heat in de place.”

Indeed, the attacking duo of Spicer and Devon Charles were steadily raising the on-field temperature, Spicer curling a lovely left-footed effort just wide in the 63rd minute while Charles shook the frame of Davis’ goal with a powerful blast only two minutes later; the aftershock stopped just short of being registered on UWI’s seismic equipment in St Augustine and perhaps provoking an ODPM intervention.

With Michel Poon-Angeron and Trey La Motte dictating the pace, the St Mary’s grew increasingly dangerous and they eventually went 2-1 up in the 80th minute when Charles headed in from close range after a short corner.

Five minutes later, La Motte was hacked down outside the area, Poon-Angeron stepped up and nonchalantly whipped his right-footed free kick into the top corner.

Game, set and match! And now the Saints can go marching on.

(Teams)

St Mary’s College (4-2-3-1): 30.Regaleo Holder (GK); 21.Justin Gibbon, 4.Schileon Phillip, 8.Matthaeus Granger (captain), 12.Kevon Alonzo; 6.Justin Keith (14.Elijah Bain Hares 90+3), 10.Michel Poon-Angeron; 7.Terran Winner, 19.Trey La Motte, 16.Tyrese Spicer (11.Gabrial Nanton 67); 27.Devon Charles.

Unused Substitutes: 1.Jordan Bidaisee (GK), 9.Justin Mohammed, 18.Kyle Carrington, 22.Augustine Nkemakolam, 26.Jed Rigsby.

Coach: Ryan Shim

East Mucurapo Secondary (4-1-4-1): 1.Joshua Davis (GK); 6.Rondell Roberts, 2.Jamali Alexis, 8.Aaron Roberts, 20.Omar Morgan (14.Daniel David 46); 15.Shakime Wickham (9.Jelani Ferary 46); 12.Elijah Joseph, 17.Gabriel Charles, 16.Kevon Edwards (captain), 11.Zion McLeod; 5.Jaheim Patrick (19.Hassani Sulieman 85).

Unused Substitutes: 3.Diarra Fraser, 7.Terrell Jack, 13.Daniel Callendar, 23.Jahmal Bowen.

Coach: Dale Saunders

Referee: Larry Lalchan

Wired868 Man-of-the-Match: Michel Poon-Angeron

Today’s Coca Cola Intercol results

(Thursday 9 November)

St Mary’s College 3 (Tyrese Spicer 45+1, Devon Charles 80, Michel Poon-Angeron 85), East Mucurapo 1 (Jelani Ferary 55) at Hasely Crawford Stadium;

Fatima College 3 (Mikhail McComie 34, Jean-Heim McFee 79, Joshua Araujo-Wilson 83), Malick Secondary 0 at Hasely Crawford Stadium;

Bishop’s HS 1 (Dominique Lyons 79), Roxborough Secondary 1 at Plymouth;

*—BHS won 4-2 on kicks from the penalty spot;

Gasparillo Secondary 1, Cunupia Secondary 1 at Carapichaima East;

*—Gasparillo won 6-5 on kicks from the penalty spot.

Tomorrow’s fixtures

(Friday 10 November)

Chaguanas North v Preysal Sec, 3.30pm, Central quarters A, Hugo Francis ground; DNP. Caps West want to play ahead of Preysal. Fri.

Signal Hill Secondary v Scarborough Secondary, 3.45pm, Tobago quarters D, Black Rock;

St Benedict’s College v La Romaine Secondary, 1.30pm, South quarters D, Mannie Ramjohn Stadium;

Naparima College v Pleasantville Secondary, 3.30pm, South quarters E, Mannie Ramjohn Stadium.

Upcoming fixtures

(Monday 13 November)

Arima North v St Augustine Sec, 3.30pm, East quarters C, Bourg Mulatresse;

San Juan North v El Dorado East, 3.30pm, East quarters D, El Dorado West;

Goodwood Sec v Pentecostal L&L, 3pm, Tobago quarters C, Bon Accord;

Speyside HS v Mason Hall Sec, 5pm, Tobago quarters B, Bon Accord;

QRC v Trinity Moka, 1.30pm, North quarters F, Hasely Crawford Stadium;

St Anthony’s v St Francis College, 3.30pm, North quarters G, Hasely Crawford Stadium;

Shiva Boys v Moruga Sec, 1.30pm, South quarters F, Mannie Ramjohn Stadium;

Presentation (San F’do) v Pt Fortin East, 3.30pm, South quarters G, Mannie Ramjohn Stadium;

(Wednesday 15 November)

Chaguanas/Preysal v Gasparillo Secondary, 3pm, Central semis, Ato Boldon Stadium;

Carapichaima East v Presentation (Chag), 5pm, Central semis, Ato Boldon Stadium;

(Thursday 16 November)

Valencia High v Trinity College East, 3pm, East semis, Marvin Lee Stadium;

San Juan/El Do v Arima/St Augustine, 5pm, East semis, Marvin Lee Stadium;

Bishop’s HS v Speyside/Mason Hall, Tobago semis, TBA;

Goodwood/Pentecostal v Signal Hill/Roxborough, Tobago semis, TBA;

St Mary’s College v Fatima College, North semis, 1.30pm, Hasely Crawford Stadium;

QRC/Trinity Moka v St Anthony’s/St Francis, North semis, 3.30pm, Hasely Crawford Stadium;

(Friday 17 November)

St Benedict’s/La Romaine v Naparima/Pleasantville, 1.30pm, South semis, Mannie Ramjohn Stadium;

Shiva Boys/Moruga v Presentation/Pt Fortin, 3.30pm, South semis, Mannie Ramjohn Stadium;

(Monday 20 November)

Carapichaima East/Presentation v Central 1, Central Zone finals, 4pm, Ato Boldon Stadium;

(Tuesday 21 November)

St Mary’s/Fatima v North 1, North Zone finals, 3.30pm, Hasely Crawford Stadium;

Tobago Zone finals, TBA;

(Wednesday 22 November)

East Zone finals, 5pm, Marvin Lee Stadium;

(Thursday 23 November)

South Zone finals, 3.30pm, Mannie Ramjohn Stadium;

(Monday 27 November)

Tobago v North, National quarterfinals, TBA;

(Thursday 30 November)

East v Tobago/North, 3.30pm, National semifinals, Ato Boldon Stadium;

South v Central, 5.30pm, National semifinals, Ato Boldon Stadium;

South v Central, National Girls Semifinals, TBA;

East v North/Tobago, National Girls Semifinals, TBA.

(Monday 4 December)

National Girls Intercol finals, 3pm, Ato Boldon Stadium;

National Boys Intercol Finals, 5pm, Ato Boldon Stadium.