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Excelsior, Mona seal spot in Walker Cup final
November 29, 2024
Amid the slips and spills under wet conditions yesterday at Stadium East, Excelsior High and Mona High punched their tickets to the ISSA Walker Cup knockout competition final with wins over Wolmer's Boys' and St Andrew Technical High (STATHS), respectively.
Excelsior qualified for the final by virtue of their 2-0 win over Wolmer's, then Mona clipped STATHS 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
Excelsior weathered a string of early attacks from the Wolmerians before placing themselves in the lead minutes before the halftime break.
Kimarly Scott, their usual goalscorer, was this time provider as he ushered in Kivann Salmon who made no mistake from inside the box to give his team the lead.
Wolmer's would try to pull level and had a prime opportunity from a Daquan Duhaney free kick in the second half. Otherwise, they could not break down the Eagles' defence.
Terence Williams sealed the win for Excelsior as his shot from outside the box took a fortuitous deflection which caught Wolmer's goalkeeper Yuri Dryden unaware and the ball to nestle in the goal.
Keon Broderick, Excelsior's head coach, said his team adapted well to the wet conditions.
"I am very proud of the boys. Based on the conditions it is not what would have helped us to play the usual Excelsior type of football but, nonetheless, we made the adaptations and were able to control the ball for large periods of the game," he explained.
In the second game, it took penalties to separate Mona and STATHS after a gritty 1-1 draw.
Mona took the lead after an own goal from STATHS defender Keeno Levy in the first half but with just a few minute on the clock, Alexavier Gooden pulled STATHS level with a brilliant free kick.
It was a heartbreak for STATHS, however, as in the penalty shootout they would fall 4-3.
The result marked STATHS' sixth elimination by penalty shootout across all schoolboy football competitions since 2017.
Phillip Williams, STATHS' head coach, applauded his team's performance despite another disappointing penalty shootout result.
"Another penalty shootout, another loss but it's a lottery and we can't do anything about it. I think the guys did well today. Looking at the underfoot conditions and the weather, there are several other places that I would have liked to be otherwise from here but the boys played well today."
The Walker Cup final is set for December 6 at the National Stadium.
