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Girls and boys are set to play on Friday; finals on Saturday

Simba FrenchSend an emailMay 24, 2023 332 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

It was a busy afternoon at the Roscow A.L. Davies Soccer Field as six senior girls teams battled for three spots in the upcoming semifinals of the Samuel P. Haven Jr. National High School Soccer Championships. In the end, it was the Lyford Cay International School Dragons, the C.R. Walker Knights and the Queen’s College Comets who secured spots yesterday afternoon, winning their quarterfinal matches.

Those three schools will join the Bishop Michael Eldon School Warriors in the semifinals set for this coming Friday.

In the featured game of the day, the Comets took care of the R.M. Bailey Pacers, 1-0. The game was decided by a penalty kick by Alexis Williamson in the first half. The penalty was awarded after the Pacers were whistled for a handball in their own box.

The game was an aggressive one but the Comets had more shots and more shots on goal than the Pacers. Comets’ Head Coach Deborah Humes said that it was a good game between two good teams playing each other.

“There was a lot of pushing and shoving for the ball which is how we play sometimes. We play a little bit more skillfully and getting pushed off the ball is not something we are used to. We could have done a little better there but we had 10 shots on target and we dominated the game. We played in our half for most of it,” Humes said.

The Comets were missing a few of their senior girls who were preparing for exams today. Humes expects them back in the semifinal game and the final once they make it through.

In the second game of the afternoon, Valtonique Simmons picked up a hat-trick to help the Knights take care of the St. Augustine’s College (SAC) Big Red Machine, 3-0. It was a very aggressive game but Simmons was strong early and often. She was able to find the back of the net in the first half to send her team into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

“We knew that we could win the game,” Simmons said. “I am happy to help my team … we did an excellent job today.”

Simmons scored midway through the second half to put the Knights up 2-0. Simmons did not rest after her second goal as she looked for a hat-trick. She finally got it late in the second half as she pressed SAC’s box and blasted a shot into the right side of the net to complete the hat-trick.

Knights’ Head Coach Dan Weightman said it was a very hot game and his girls had to push. He said he had to use his bench a lot and it paid off for him.

“They were able to pick each other up and the subs did their job. The girls wanted to go deep in the tournament. They are undefeated with a very successful season. They did not want to go out in the first round. We had to win this game,” Weightman said.

The first game was dominated wire-to-wire by the Dragons as they dropped five unanswered goals on the Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves to win, 5-0.

Dragons’ Head Coach Sarah Ilgenfritz was happy with the way the team came out.

“The girls came out with a lot of grit. The last time we played was not a good result. We came out hungry and I was not surprised that we did. They worked hard and did exactly what we talked about in practice,” Ilgenfritz said.

After a quiet start to the game, CARIFTA swimmer Delaney Mizell got the Dragons on the scoreboard. On the Timberwolves’ kick-off after the goal, Yasmin Kennedy stole the ball and dribbled into the Timberwolves’ box and scored to put the Dragons up 2-0.

Melissa Beukes scored a goal for the Dragons to put them up 3-0 in the second half. The Dragons shared the ball, and as a result, had three different goal scorers.

Issa Bournas became the fourth goal scorer for the Dragons as the game got more out of reach for the Timberwolves. Bournas was not finished as she scored again before the end of the game to put in the fifth goal in the back of the net.

Co-captain and goalkeeper for the Dragons Lillian Haynes did not have much to do but she was happy with the team’s victory.

On Monday, the boys were in action and the Government High School (GHS) Magic, the Timberwolves, and the Dragons secured spots in the semifinals on Friday. After a scoreless game in regulation, the Magic won 4-3 on penalty kicks over the St. Anne’s Blue Waves. The Timberwolves won 2-1 over the St. Andrew’s Hurricanes and the Dragons won 3-2 over the Knights.

The fourth team in the semifinals for the girls and the boys are the Warriors out of Grand Bahama on the girls side and the Lucaya International School Buccaneers, also out of Grand Bahama, on the boys side.

The semifinals are set for Friday and the third place games and finals are set for Saturday. There will be a Most Valuable Player (MVP) trophy awarded in both divisions.