The final round of games in the preliminary Group B against defending champions, the Cuban National Team.
It was a crucial game that could go any way, had a goal scored against us in the third minute as a defensive clearance ricocheted off an attacker into our net, 0-1.
The Cubans were the more aggressive and confident at the start, and it increased following the goal as they bossed the proceedings for about 20 minutes. The young Stars of the East showed a few glimpses of their potential but not enough to worry the group leaders up to halftime, despite having the upper hand late in the half.
Our second half was better, with 4 shots taken by both teams as the quality of the game improved without goals. The referee halted the game at 70 minutes, plus 4 minutes of time added.
Disappointed to not gain any points from this encounter, we trudged off to lick our wounds, mental and physical. We were happy to qualify for the semi-finals as the second-placed team in the zone with 4 points. Fellow Jamaicans in our zone, Mount Pleasant Academy, also had 4 points after their 2-1 win over San Antonio Academy earlier but we had a better goal difference.
We had a 10:55am flight to Grand Cayman Island ahead of our semi-final game against DC United (USA) in Grand Cayman Island tonight. Fellow Jamaicans Portmore United will play the other semi-final game against defending champions, Cuba.