It was like deja vu for Vaz Prep and Mona Prep when both schools came face to face in the semifinals of the JISA Alberga Cup on Saturday December 7th at the UWI Bowl, having met just over a week earlier in the third place play-off of the Henriques Cup (knock out competition).
It was like deja vu for Vaz Prep and Mona Prep when both schools came face to face in the semifinals of the JISA Alberga Cup on Saturday December 7th at the UWI Bowl, having met just over a week earlier in the third place play-off of the Henriques Cup (knock out competition).
In that playoff game Vaz Prep came away one nil winners ,courtesy of a first half strike from leading scorer, Jhavier Lynch and were determined to repeat the win to progress to the finals.
On the other hand, a determined Mona outfit were bent on proving that they could reverse the result from a week before and take their place in the final themselves.
The game had a cagey start as both teams tried to feel each other out while giving each other deserved respect.
The first salvo came from Vaz striker Taje Chamberlain who received a pass from Lyare Harris on the left flank, before cutting inside and firing a shot on target which was well held by Rajir Williams in goal for Mona in the 9th minute.
Just a minute later Mona was awarded a free kick at the other end and Vaz defender Scott McLeod did well to head away a well struck effort from Mona’s Matthew Bell, that was headed for the top corner of the net.
These back to back plays brought the crowd to life as the noise levels increased from the spectators.
The Mona team almost took the lead midway the half when their danger man, Duncan McKenzie worked his way past two defenders down the right side before delivering a pin point cross to Nado Meggs, who saw his effort rebound off the crossbar and back into play.
The Vaz Prep defenders scrambled the ball away from danger while Meggs held his head in despair. The Mona crowd got even louder following that effort while the Vaz Prep spectators tried to urge their players on.
Bell saw a long range effort sail just over the top and this was followed by a Zidane Barnes effort for Vaz, after the lanky midfielder shook off his marker and fired a shot just past the left upright. The cheers turned to dancing as both sets of spectators anticipated the game’s opening goal.
Barnes would have the next effort on target which was well saved by Williams before Bell saw his free kick on the stroke of half time, juggled before being caught by the Vaz Prep custodian.
Most of the main protagonists had showed up for the first half but Jhavier Lynch had yet to make his mark on the game. At 0-0 neither team could complain at the half time break in what had been an entertaining half of football.
It didn’t take long after the restart for Lynch to make an impact on the game. The striker was on the end of a Barnes free kick which he headed on target only to see it cleared off the line by a Mona defender. That effort by Lynch was followed by a brilliant individual move when he received a pass from Harris, turned sharply to beat two defenders but lost possession while trying to beat a third.
The loose ball ran to Matthew Rose, who had replaced Chamberlain in the second half, and the winger saw his shot go inches over the crossbar. A minute later, Barnes fired from distance but his shot went over the top.
It was Barnes again who got the next effort on target. His arrowed shot, which was heading for the corner of the net, was deflected by a defender, straight into the grateful arms of Williams.
Aquan Pearson was having a peach of a game in midfield for Vaz Prep, dictating the play and allowing Barnes to get forward more and add impetus to the attack. The duo of Bell and McKenzie for Mona were having a hard time containing the burly midfielder as he sprayed passes to the left and right.
A right sided cross, ten minutes before the end by Chaz Prawl, glanced off the head of Lynch who failed to make proper contact with the ball. Lynch would have known that he should have done better.
It was all Vaz at this point as Mona were hanging on for dear life.
Prawl had the chance to be the hero for Vaz, three minutes from the end, when he latched on to a pass and raced towards goal only to see his shot inch pass the far post as the game remained scoreless.
Both coaches would have been mentally preparing the extra time team talk, when Lynch broke the heart of the Mona crowd once again.
Harris, who had been having a good game in a deeper role for his team, fought hard to get possession of the ball and then faked to shoot before passing to Lynch. The fake wrong-footed the entire Mona back line and Lynch capitalized by controlling the ball and settling himself before slotting home with just one minute left in regulation time.
The striker raced off in celebration, flocked by his teammates as the Vaz Prep supporters danced in glee. The deflated Mona players tried to pick themselves up to get the leveler in stoppage time but were unable to do so.
Vaz Prep had assured themselves of a place in the final with another narrow 1-0 win over Mona Prep at the UWI Bowl.
Speaking after the game Vaz Prep coach Simba Harris said, “It was a hard fought game between two evenly matched teams. We dug in and got one late today. We took a while to settle down in midfield but once we did that we took control and were able to make the passes.
“Barnes was dominant in midfield, Pearson had a fantastic game and it was brilliant pass from Harris to Lynch to get the goal.
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