SSFL 25: ‘Moka Lions’ roar on Serpentine Road, Trinity stun CIC 1-0

St Mary’s College Grounds fell quiet at the full-time whistle on Saturday afternoon—except for a small corner of the Serpentine Road ground where the jubilant voices of Trinity College players sang: Somewhere in Moka.

Their anthem celebrated a 1-0 win over St Mary’s College in the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Premier Division.

For head coach Marlon Minguel, it was more than just three points.

“I am very emotional,” he told Wired868, as he listened to the school chant. “Coming off victory against QRC, these are the kinds of games we are hoping to win. The emotion is quite high within the team.”

The only goal of the game came in the 48th minute off the boot of lively forward Jaeden Samuel, who reacted quickest inside the area to sweep home from close range.

Samuel’s sharp instinctual finish rewarded Trinity’s patience and discipline on the day.

Despite the win, the ‘Moka Lions’ stayed 10th in the 16-team table, only four points above the relegation zone.

Brother school, Trinity College East, made up the most ground on the day, leaping up from 13th place to 11th in the standings—an injury-time winner from Malachi Johnson ended Carapichaima’s best chance of earning its first point of the season.

Signal Hill pulled off another stunner, beating Fatima College 3–2 at Mucurapo Road, their third win in succession and the defending champions’ second reversal in four days.

Naparima College, which whipped Fatima 4–1 on Wednesday, took care of Queen’s Royal College 2–0 at QRC Grounds to open a five-point lead, with one game in hand.

At Serpentine Road, both teams began cautiously, sizing up each other, fully aware of the other’s attacking potency.

CIC head coach Cornell Glen, trying to halt a two-match losing streak, lined up a compact shape with five across the middle, and Deron Blackman as a false nine.

“Because of the lack of depth in the squad, and not having a proper number nine,” said St Mary’s assistant coach, Abdallah Phillips, “we had to ask Blackman to play the false nine. It’s difficult for him—he tries his best.”

Trinity, meanwhile, stuck with their passing philosophy, working patiently from the back and trusting in the pace and skill of their youthful front three: Samuel, Kevez Quintero, and skipper Anton Joseph, the younger brother of national footballer Che Benny.

“I try to boost their confidence by allowing them to do their thing when they reach certain areas of the field,” said Minguel. “Express themselves, don’t be afraid, no matter who you are playing, be confident in yourself and your God-given ability.”

The early exchanges were evenly matched.

St Mary’s playmaker Finn De Freitas headed over from close range, while Joseph and Quintero combined to test a Saints’ defence marshalled well by Darius Humphrey.

Blackman looked lively on the break, delivering two dangerous crosses and forcing two smart saves from Trinity custodian Giovani Gomez.

However, after coming close to conceding, Trinity started to take control of possession and territory.

Their best chance of the first half came from a curling Juhdon King free-kick that was clawed away from the angle by Donnell Thomas in goal for St Mary’s.

Thomas, coached by former national goalkeeper Clayton Ince, also saved from Joseph later in the half.

Both teams went into halftime goalless—but Trinity were definitely in the ascendancy.

At half-time, Glen and Phillips stressed the need to put away their chances.

“We need to keep ourselves in the game,” Phillips said of the half-time talk, “We need to keep the intensity. We need to get that first goal—the first goal would be important.”

However, it was Trinity that returned to the field with renewed energy and clear intent.

Within three minutes, the match swung dramatically.

Joseph threaded a ball into the box, where Samuel stretched to toe-poke the ball past Thomas for a 1–0 lead.

“We do a lot of pattern drills,” said Minguel. “It was really nice to see those boys execute that goal today.”

The goal stunned the home fans and spurred Glen into action.

The former national striker reshuffled his side, introducing Nadeem Grant, Joshua Miguel, and Josiah Hunte to chase the equaliser.

Blackman, who picked up a knock in the first half, was withdrawn.

De Freitas was moved from the left side to the middle, threading passes into the channel as St Mary’s launched waves of attacks.

Trinity were forced deeper, defending in numbers and relying on the physical presence of Malachi Roach (on for Jashon Forde) and Isaiah Elie at the back.

The match then turned into a test of resolve.

“We had to put in some work. We had to dig deep; we had to weather the storm,” said Minguel. “It was only one goal, and we knew, especially in the second half, that they would come out.”

The Saints had their chances.

Grant’s clever backheel played in to Hunte, who fluffed the chance.

Moments later, Miguel was tripped by Roach in the area, with referee Hood pointing to the spot—only for the flag to go up for offside.

It was a cruel moment for St Mary’s.

Their spectators groaned again a few minutes later when Grant netted, but the goal was ruled out for a foul on goalkeeper Gomez.

In between, Trinity almost snatched a second goal as Troy Bruno’s shot forced a fingertip save from Thomas.

As the minutes trickled away, St Mary’s fought gallantly for the equaliser.

Hunte had a low drive pushed wide by Gomez, while Miguel and Grant both came close in stoppage time.

But that was as far as it got. When the final whistle sounded, the Saints slumped to the ground, and the Moka Lions roared in delight.

The visitors, in front of the stone-faced St Mary’s supporters, burst into song: “Somewhere in Moka, where you hear the lions roar… Move over, CIC, let Trinity pass—Trinity! Trinity!”

“That is ancient, that is history,” said Minguel. “Even when I used to play for Trinity, even in that time, that was our chant.”

For Phillips and his team, it was a tough loss to take, not due to a lack of effort, but because of the opportunities missed.

“With the chances that we created, with the amount of opportunities we were getting in front of goal, it doesn’t feel good when it comes down to one crucial mistake,” he said.

Phillips viewed the game as part of a steep learning curve for his young squad.

“Most of them, this is their first year in SSFL,” he said. “At U16 level, it gives them a false notion that you can do these kinds of things and still get away with it.

“But at this level, opposition teams are prepared. If you don’t take your chances, this is what happens.”

Phillips said his team would regroup quickly.

“The only way you can fix football problems is to play matches and fix it,” he said.

CIC play Signal Hill Secondary on Wednesday—a tough assignment against a team that has won three straight matches, and bested defending champions Fatima, 3–2.

For Trinity, the win validated Minguel’s philosophy of nurturing a young, fearless squad.

“Most of the boys are 15 or 16,” he explained. “It’s a good experience for them. We believe in playing the ball on the ground, passing it around, and building resilience.”

He praised his young front trio of Joseph, Quintero, and Samuel for their energy and creativity.

“They’re young players coming up,” he said. “It’s all about developing them for the rest of their football lives.”

Despite the win, Trinity is still not safe from relegation, but Minguel remains upbeat.

“I would just like to stave off relegation, reach as high up as we can reach,” he said. “But next year Trinity will be a force to be reckoned with.”

They battle St Augustine Secondary next. Minguel hopes the same determination shown at Serpentine Road will carry over onto home turf.

“I am really proud of the boys today,” said Minguel. “I saw how they dig deep and how they weathered the storm; they were very resilient and just executed what we did on the training ground and came out today and got the three points.”

When the sun dipped behind the grand old trees at St Mary’s Ground, the echoes of Somewhere in Moka lingered in the air.

For Trinity, it was a day to remember. For St Mary’s, it was another hard football lesson.

But it will be remembered as the day the Moka Lions roared loudest at Serpentine Road.

Teams

St Mary’s College (4-5-1): 1.Donnell Thomas (GK); 12.Ihsan Miller, 21.David Gopaul, 6.Darius Humphrey, 18.Isaiah Morris; 17.Jamari Gilkes (7.Joshua Miguel 63), 14.Jalen Hislop, 15.Eran McLeod (captain), 16.Liam Hosein (11.Nadeem Grant 55), 10.Finn De Freitas; 19.Deron Blackman (8.Josiah Hunte 63).

Unused substitutes: 23.Estefan Gift (GK), 4.Ooleetoo Myers, 13.Liam Young, 9.Isaiah Blackman.

Coach: Cornell Glen.

Trinity College (4-3-3): 1.Giovanni Gomez (GK); 6.Jediah David, 18.Isaiah Elie (15.Ofigi Quow 87), 5.Jashon Forde (16.Malachi Roach 68), 3.Juhdon King; 7.Kelun Hernandez, 17.Troy Bruno, 14.Maleek Addley (8.Josimar Alfred 46); 9.Kevez Quintero, 10.Anton Joseph (captain), 11.Jaeden Samuel (19.Andre Constantine 89).

Unused substitutes: 22.Joshua Walker (GK), 2.Reshard Preudhomme, 4.Maleek Antonie, 12.Kelson Williams, 13.Stephan-Eali Seales.

Coach: Marlon Minguel.

Referee: Charlize Hood.

SSFL Premier Division results

(Sat 18 October)

Trinity East 1 (Malachi Johnson 90+1), Carapichaima East 0 at Trincity;

St Mary’s College 0, Trinity College 1 (Jaeden Samuel 48) at Serpentine Road;

Fatima College 2 (Jahaem Bailey 31, Jonathan Mason 82), Signal Hill Sec 3 (Khaleem Trim 13, Ackim Duncan 16, Raevion Marshall 40) at Mucurapo Road;

Malick Secondary 0, Arima North Secondary 4 (Darren De Four 33 pen, 41, Kafense McKell 38, Keston Richards 81) at Hasely Crawford Stadium training field;

QRC 0, Naparima College 2 (Adasa Richardson 41, Xavier Caruth OG 82) at QRC ground;

Presentation (San F’do) 0, St Anthony’s College 1 (Kanye Glasgow) at Mannie Ramjohn Stadium;

San Juan North 1 (Jaheem Danclar 45), St Benedict’s College 2 (Malerky Fraser 54, Elijah David 80) at Bourg Mulatresse;

St Augustine Secondary 2 (Giovanni Hospedales pen, Michael Charles 65), Scarborough Secondary 2 (Jalani Johnson 7, Varel Wilson 57) at Warren Street.

Upcoming fixtures

(Wed 22 October)

Naparima College v Presentation (San F’do), 3.30pm, Lewis Street;

Fatima College v Arima North, 3.30pm, Mucurapo Road;

Malick Secondary v QRC, 3.30pm, TBA;

Trinity College v St Augustine Secondary, 3.30pm, Moka;

St Anthony’s College v San Juan North, 3.30pm, Westmoorings;

Carapichaima East v St Benedict’s College, 3.30pm, Ato Boldon Stadium;

Signal Hill Sec v St Mary’s College, 3.30pm, Signal Hill;

Trinity East v Scarborough Secondary, 3.30pm, Trincity.

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