BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - TWO goals by Josh leader set the pace for S. L. Horsford’s St. Paul’s FC to draw first blood in the first game of the SKNFA Premier Division Best of Three Finals last evening (May 19), when they defeated RAM’S Village Superstars FC by 2 goals to 1 in extra time (30 minutes) after the game was tied at 1-all at the end of regulation time.
The match, which was played at the Warner Park Football Stadium, started with a very fast pace with both teams executing brilliant passes and strong attacks, forcing both goalkeepers into making early saves.
.
The early play also saw both teams being wasteful in many chances that were created.
Leader however proved that no defence is impenetrable when he found the back of Village net in the 34th minute after their defenders dealt poorly with a St. Paul’s corner kick that left the goal scorer all alone in the box with the ball at his feet.
Leader made no mistake in making Village pay for their defensive frailties.
The first half ended as it begun with both teams creating ample chances but failing to capitalise on them.
Trailing by a solitary goal at halftime, Village started the second half in a desperate attempt to find an equaliser and had some bad luck in their quest to claw back into the game.
They had to wait until the 78th minute when a penalty was won for a handball in the box which was successfully converted by Javin Matthew.
With an equaliser 12 minutes from the end of regulation time, extra time was inevitable.
The extra time saw renewed energy from St. Paul’s players as they piled pressure upon the Village Superstars as they struggled in their to get the ball out of their half.
St. Paul’s pressure paid off when a Village defender handled the ball in the box, which resulted in a penalty.
The spot kick was easily converted in the 11th minute by Leader, who celebrated with his team’s fans seated behind the goal.
The weary legs of the players late in extra time proved too much as both teams failed to create any clear goal-scoring chances.
The win give St. Paul’s a huge boost in their quest for a third Premier Division title as they will be looking to finish off the season tomorrow in game two, while Village will be looking to force a game three.
