The Tribune

By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE under-12 (U12) girls of Eva Hilton Primary School and boys of Sybil Strachan Primary School can now celebrate after winning the division trophies at the newly-named Dawn N Knowles Primary Schools Soccer Tournament hosted at the Roscow AL Davies Soccer Field yesterday.

Eva Hilton’s U12 girls closed out EP Roberts Primary School 2-1 in a penalty shootout to be crowned champions in their division.

For the boys, Sybil Strachan made good on a 3-2 comeback win against Gerald Cash in their championship round. Garvin Tynes Primary School ended with third place for the girls and Carlton E Francis Primary School’s boys came third as well.

Boys’ Division

In the boys’ championship game, Gerald Cash Primary School was the first to move the needle out of the two teams. They went into the halftime break with a 2-1 advantage on Sybil Strachan and looked determined to lift the division titles. However, despite Gerald Cash remaining undefeated until the U12 finals, Sybil Strachan got their heads in the game and scored an equaliser to make the score 2-2. The team rallied together and put another goal to the back of the net in the second half to complete the come from behind victory, 3-2.

Greer Thompson, head coach of Sybil Strachan, said it was a great win for the team but an emotional one for her as she dedicated yesterday’s effort to her late mother. “It feels good, we stuck with our game plan, executed and went for the goals. We knew what we practiced and that is what we came out here and did once we got settled after halftime,” Thompson said.

She also came away with the winning coach honours.

As for the other awards in the boys U12 division, Ramon Rahming, of Carlton E Francis, was presented the Golden Glove trophy. Rashad Francis, of Gerald Cash, scored 29 goals in the tournament to earn the Golden Boots honours. Additionally, Hernandez Toussaint, of the victors, was named the Golden Ball (MVP).

Girls’ Division

Eva Hilton and EP Roberts both fought hard in the actual match but were unable to score on their opponents.

In the penalty shootout, EP Roberts delivered a strong kick to advance 1-0. Eva Hilton evened the score 1-1 after a successful kick.

EP Roberts came up short on their final attempt but Eva Hilton did not and collected a 2-1 win.

Zindora Munnings, head coach of Eva Hilton, acknowledged that the match was tough but she is grateful for another championship win.

“The win feels great. At the end of the day, the girls really played hard to keep off EP Roberts and had very strong defence. As you can tell with the draw result, both teams were good but our girls came out on top because of determination,” Munnings said.

She joined Thompson to receive the top coach honours and credited EP Roberts for playing a good game.

Yellow Elder’s Aviana Heastie secured the Golden Ball award.

Eva Hilton’s Raynique Tinker took home the Golden Boots hardware and her teammate Dwanae Rahming got the Golden Glove trophy.

Dawn N Knowles, who assisted with the awards presentation, said that the future is bright in soccer after this tournament. “I thought it was an excellent tournament. It allowed more playing time and that was the purpose.

“I think we are on the right track when it comes to development in primary school soccer,” Knowles said.

On Tuesday, the under- 10 boys of Eva Hilton won the championship after defeating Sybil Strachan 2-1. Meanwhile, Cleveland Eneas matched up with Sadie Curtis and bested them 1-0 for U10 girls title.

Eva Hilton placed third in the girls division along with Garvin Tynes in the boys. The NPPPSSA sports calendar rolls on to the baseball/softball disciplines starting November 27 and ending December 1.