Photo: St. Georges College forward Alex Marshall executes an audaciuos flick pass to Shevon Stewart during the Walker Cup semi-final against St. Jago High school. Marshall scored one goal and Stewart two as the defedning champions ran out 3-2 winners to advance to the final next month.
Defending champions St. Georges College turned back the challenge of a stubborn St. Jago team 3-2 in a thrilling semi-final in the ISSA/FLOW Walker Cup competition on Wednesday at the Constant Spring field. A brace from St. Georges captain Shevon Stewart and one from Alex Marshall secured the win for the ‘Light Blues’ while Ryan Smart and Shawn-D Thompson got the goals for St. Jago.
Both teams turned up to play and provided entertainment for the fans that packed inside the small venue, providing end to end action in what was the best game of the competition so far.
St. Georges College led by three pronged attack of Stewart, Marshall and Gregory Messam Jr. took the game to St. Jago and struck first when a Messam free kick was floated into the box at the near post for Stephon Gilzene to head on target. The effort was blocked by goalkeeper Akeem Chambers but the ball fell to Stewart who had time to take a touch before rippling the back of the net to give his team the lead.
St. Jago was not intimidated by their opponents or by falling behind and responded through Andrew Daley and Kristoff Mendez. But Smart drew the boys from Monk Street level when he fired past John Wilson from just inside the box to make it 1-1.
Messam was proving dangerous from the set pieces and almost restored the lead of the champions when he rattled the crossbar with another free kick but the ball bounced onto the goal line and rebounded into play. It was agonizingly close for STGC while St. Jago counted their lucky stars.
The war in midfield continued as both teams went at it hammer and thong, giving as much as they got.
The half ended 1-1 with a promise of a lot more in store.
The excitement continued in the second half as both teams went in search of the crucial go ahead goal. It came from the boot of the tricky Alex Marshall who scored directly from a free kick from an acute angle down the right side. Chambers would not have been pleased to concede in the matter that he did.
Yonnick Elliot responded for St. Jago but his shot which was arrowed towards the roof of the net was well held by Wilson.
The Neville Bell coached team seemed to have put the game to bed when Marshall played a beautiful pass to Stewart inside the box. The STGC captain got his second of the game when he trapped the ball with his chest before placing it inside the far post with the outside of the right boot to make it 3-1.
But St. Jago refused to roll over and die and came back yet again, Thompson cutting the deficit when his shot from just inside the box beat Wilson at the near post.
St. Jago had a glorious chance to force the game into extra time when Shaqon Bryan went on a blazing run down the right flank before delivering the perfect cross for substitute Kirk Samuda but the player seemed to jump over the ball at the back post and the chance was wasted.
To their credit, the St. Jago team kept fighting to the final whistle but the STGC defence manned by Matthew Wilson and Akeem Prawl stood strong as they booked their spot in the final set for late November.
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