It has been a dream run for both Santa Rosa Secondary and Chase Academic Foundation in the ninth Milo Schools Under-18 Football tournament as they have booked a spot in what is sizing up to be a titanic final on Sunday evening.
For Region One’s Santa Rosa, it is their first sojourn in the tournament, and they have played some remarkable football to reach this stage, while Chase, a three-time champion, are back after the re-introduction of private institutions to the tournament.
The Santa Rosa lads, having to manage the ordeal of travelling from Region One to the city, have dug deep to showcase their talent in football.
In Wednesday’s semi-final against Carmel Secondary, arguably their toughest test game to date, they won 2-1 in a thriller at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue.
Back by a sizeable gathering, Darius Williams placed Santa Rosa ahead in the 14th minute, to spark boisterous celebrations.
It looked like that would be the only goal for the night until Ian Daniels levelled proceedings in the 74th minute.
Just when the game seemed headed for extra-time, Williams completed his double, hitting the back of the net in the 86th minute to seal the win.
The earlier semi-final was more straightforward as the three-time champions made light work of McKenzie High with a 3-0 victory.
Matrim Martins (12th), Seon Cato (18th) and Chai Williams (33rd) sealed the match for Chase in the first half.
Sunday’s final is scheduled for 18:00h, while the third-place playoff between Carmel Secondary and McKenzie High is from 16:00h.
The top four teams will be rewarded with G$300,000, G$200,000, G$100,000, and G$75,000 respectively, towards school projects.
Backed by Massy Distribution Guyana Inc. through its Milo brand, the tournament is also supported by MVP Sports, GenEquip Guyana Ltd. and GINMIN Guyana.
