Home|Sports|Champions crowned in GSSSA soccerSports
Magic take down Knights 2-1 to win senior boys division
Simba FrenchSend an emailMay 25, 2023 323 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
After the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) Soccer Championships got rained out this past Friday, four champions were crowned yesterday at the Roscow A.L. Davies Soccer Field.
The Government High Magic won the senior boys division, while the C.R. Walker Knights won the senior girls division. In the junior division, Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves won the boys division, while the H.O. Nash Lions lifted the title in the girls division.
The Magic pulled off the 2-1 comeback victory over the Knights in the senior boys division by scoring both goals in the second half. The Knights looked like they were about to pull off the upset and hand the Magic their first loss of the season, however, they were unable to sweep the senior division.
After the game was knotted at 1-1 in the second half, both sides were fighting for the go-ahead goal, but it came down to which team wanted it more and which was fitter. Just like in the playoffs, Most Valuable Player (MVP) Wilder Petit-Homme stepped up and found the back of the net to help his Magic to defend their title from 2019.
Head coach of the Magic, Melvin Miller, needed to catch his breath after running across the field to his fans as he basked in the moment.
“This feels awesome,” Miller said. “We came out here and had a little difficulty at first. We regrouped at the half and ironed out our kinks, went back out there and gave them the ‘magic’. At Government High, we don’t do average, we do awesome.”
The Knights went into halftime up 1-0 on a goal from Kevin Thomas. Miller fixed his midfield, tightened it, and pressed the Knights’ defense. It worked for the Magic and Brian Miller broke past the defense and scored the equalizer.
After the 2-1 lead, both teams lost a player each to a red card. The Magic tried to find a third goal, but could not find the back of the net.
One day after both teams played in the girls division of the Sam P. Haven Jr. National High School Soccer Championships, the Knights took care of the R.M. Bailey Pacers 3-0 to win the senior girls title.
Like Tuesday night, the MVP, Valtinique Simmons, was the hat-trick hero as she led her team to victory once again. Over the two games, the 10th-grade student-athlete notched six goals. Simmons’ final two goals came from outside of the Pacers’ 18-yard box, as she prevented the Pacers from any thoughts of a comeback. Both goals were in the second half.
“I came with the mindset today (Wednesday) that I was going to score another hat trick and I did just that,” Simmons said. “I owe the goals to my teammates and coaches. I am happy and excited to win the championship and we came out with the mindset to win.”
Her first goal came in the first half from a deflection that she tapped past the Pacers’ goalkeeper, to put her team up 1-0 in the first half.
The Knights were dominant in the victory, winning the loose balls and attacking the Pacers’ half.
In the junior boys division showdown between the Timberwolves and the S.C. McPherson Sharks, a penalty shootout was needed to determine a winner. In the end, the Timberwolves won 3-2 on penalty kicks. The game ended 1-1 after regulation. Scoring first was the Timberwolves’ Arayshio Green, who won the MVP award for his goal in the first half. Steven Desir equalized the game for the Sharks a few moments later.
The junior girls division saw two unanswered second half goals by the Lions to take down the C.H. Reeves Raptors 2-0. Scoring for the Lions first was Zante Ferguson, while Evanice Sands scored the second goal to put away the game. Sands won the MVP award.
It is the end of the sports year for the GSSSA, as they were able to get in all their core sports since 2019.
The Magic senior boys and the Knights senior girls teams advanced to the semifinals of the Sam P. Haven Jr. National High School Soccer Championships earlier in the week. The Magic play the feature game against Lucaya International School Buccaneers at 7 p.m. on Friday. The Knights play Queen’s College Comets at 6.30 p.m. on Friday.