Real Mona scored a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Harbour View FC in the final of the Kiwanis Club of Liguanea/KSAFA Under-13 football competition to take their third consecutive title at the Constant Spring Complex yesterday.
First-half goals from Gedise Merridy and Matthew Simons gave Real Mona a 2-0 lead at the break. However, they had to stave off a second-half onslaught from Harbour View to secure the title.
Cornell McKen scored for Harbour View in the 55th minute. ³This is very pleasing because in earlier seasons we went to the finals three times and lost three times, so…winning three years consecutively…is a redeeming factor for the club,² said coach Peter Moses. ³…This team just don¹t know how to lose; three years in this competition and we have only lost one match, but Harbour View fought hard and when they scored that goal it really put us on our toes,² Moses added.
Real Mona, with the more physical players, had the better at the start and took the lead through Merridy, who beat goalkeeper Justin Hall from outside the area after 15 minutes.
Seven minutes later, a poor defensive clearance rebounded off a Mona player and sent Simons through, and he fired into the roof of the net to make it 2-0.
But the second half was all Harbour View. Led by captain Martin Davis, along with Jaheel Hyde and Nacquain Brown, the East Kingston side pushed Mona on the defensive. Twenty minutes into the half McKen headed home Hyde¹s corner kick to cut the deficit. Harbour View continued to press forward and got a golden opportunity to send the game into extra time, but pint-sized substitute Rafiel Coleman lifted his shot over the bar after being left unmarked inside the area.
Losing coach Sydney McFarlane said he was disappointed not to take the trophy from Mona, but was satisfied with his team¹s effort. ³It was a good loss because we fought right to the end, he said.
Below: Jahleel Hyde / Capt. Martin Davis
