Our opening game was the second game of the night at 8pm in Group B in the Cayman Brac.
Game one showcased defending champions, the Cuban National Team, against fellow Jamaicans, Mount Pleasant Academy, which ended 1-1 as goalkeeper mistakes by both teams led the way in the rain on an artificial turf.
The young Stars of the East dominated the game from early until midway the first half. 3 crosses sailed across the face of goal and 4 shots went off target, the closest was when Demarco Thorne bore down on the goalkeeper and the ball was kicked to Ron-jay Watson but his shot hit the side netting.
Football is an unkind master; the very next attack from San Antonio Academy following that chance was their first shot on goal which resulted in a lead. The right-sided play lodged into the far post as Darren Vallentine’s diving effort was in vain. The score was 0-1 after 21 minutes.
Coach Lamar Morgan switched things around a bit and renewed vigour to greet our opponents in the second half from the blast of the referee’s whistle. 5 shots on goal, as none were registered on ours.
Pressure mounting, the night’s ace attacker Demarco Thorne was creating havoc amongst the back line along with the nimble Ron-jay Watson. Two efforts were made, just off target from dead ball situations. Kareem McLean and midfielder Jahmali Miller started to complement Ron-jay’s play.
With 5 minutes to play, Demarco turned two defenders to be brought down in the area; penalty signalled by the referee. Tyrese “Engine” Williams blasted home from the underside of the crossbar to convert and level the score at 1-1. Now the aim was to win as both teams traded action but no more goals were recorded. All square with a share of the points for all 4 teams.