The Hikers had a productive weekend in the Solo Under-19 leagues win two wins in as many matches. This performance has elevated them into second position behind the GCC Pitbulls, who were also victorious against Saints Sonics. Meanwhile, the Saints Splinters enjoyed their first win of the competition at the expense of newcomers NR Multilateral.
Just one goal separated the Hikers from a strong St. Joseph’s Warriors challenge. With the teams locked at 0-0 for the first half of play, leading scorer of the competition, Baraka Garnett finally managed to make a breakthrough in the 25th minute to score the deciding goal, which gave the Hikers a 1-0 victory.
The Saints Splinters scored their first goal of the competition against the lowly NR Multilateral after losing their first two matches. Leroy Geer was the player on target, scoring in the 16th and 18th minutes for Saints.
The GCC Pitbulls completed an unbeaten first round with a 3-1 win over Saints Sonics. After a scoreless first half, the game came alive in the first minute of the second half with midfielder Samuel Woodroffe blasting home a shot to give GCC a 1-0 lead.
The lanky Malique Ferreira found the back of the GCC net six minutes later to signal that the Sonics would not go down without a fight. GCC strikers Tariq Nelson and Gianni Carpenter however, would have the final say by scoring a goal each to give the GCC Pitbulls a 3-1 win.
The Hikers topped off a productive weekend with a 4-1 victory over Old Fort. Baraka Garnett was once again the high scorer of the match with a hat-trick, while Joash James scored the fourth goal for the Hikers. Rafael Robertson managed to pull one goal back for Old Fort in the dying minutes but it was too little too late.
In the female competition the Bingo Spartans and Saints continued to dominate with both teams chalking up their second victory in as many matches. The tournament’s leading scorers Abosaide Cadogan and Alana Cheung both scored twice in the match for Spartans, while Makeda Harding and Kirsten Gomes added one each in the one-sided affair.
The GCC Her-ricanes did little better against Saints as the greys racked up five unanswered goals in their convincing victory. The promising Charlia Webb was top of the scorer’s table with two goals for Saints, while teammates Kizia Chinian, Kimberley Kenyon and Thea Heartly each scored singles.
The boys table finds the GCC Pitbulls at the top with 15 points followed by the Hikers with nine, Saints Sonics seven, Joseph’s Warriors four, Old Fort and Saints Splinters three each and NR Multilateral zero.
The girls table sees the Bingo Spartans and Saints sharing the lead with six points each, while St. Joseph’s and the GCC Her-ricanes are yet to secure points. Matches continue on Saturday and Sunday at the St. Stanislaus College ground.
