St Joseph's Convent PoS (SJC) had the last say in the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Coca-Cola girls' national intercol tournament on Thursday, as they got a tense penalty shootout win over favourites Pleasantville Secondary at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.
In a game that finished 1-1 after regulation time, the girls from Pembroke Street held their nerves as they got a 5-3 win from the spot. The teams were locked 2-2 in the shootout after two kicks apiece, with St Joseph's captain Kaitlyn Darwent putting her team 3-2 up with a clinical finish into the top corner.
The critical moment in the shootout came from the next kick, as St Joseph's keeper Alexia Dolland dived to her right to save an effort from Giovanna Sherwood.
Both teams scored their next kick, with Pleasantville star Nikita Gosine keeping her team in the game with a powerful penalty into the roof or the net.
However, second-half substitute Scarlett Cole applied an ice-cold finish with her team's next kick as she sent goalkeeper Janike Ramoutar the wrong way to seal the victory and spark wild celebrations from her teammates and St Joseph's supporters.
There was little to separate the teams through 80 minutes of football, although Pleasantville would argue they had the better of the opportunities in regular time - out-shooting the opposition 16 to eight.
Pleasantville, this year's girls' Big 5 champions, started brightly as Gosine carved out an early chance for her sister Natalia who volleyed over bar.
However, it was SJC who struck the first blow in the 13th minute when Bethany Phillip tucked in a rebound from close range after Ramoutar parried a rasping hit from Darwent onto the bar.
Pleasantville's hard, early running was rewarded in the 27th minute when Nikita scored with a curling right-footed shot into the far corner after being found by a lovely through ball down the left.
Just six minutes later, Natalia had a free kick just tipped over the bar by Dolland after the rugged Mikaela was adjudged to have fouled Nikita just outside the area.
SJC were restricted to play on the break by the end of the first half, but they should have gone into the half with the lead. With Ramoutar's goal at her mercy, Emma Nieves somehow shot over bar in first-half stoppage-time after Phillip put in a precise cross from the right.
Nikita took up a deep-lying role in the first half, but her influence on the game grew in the second as she became the focal point of her team's attack.
In the 43rd minute, Nikita fed the ball on a platter for flanker Khairiyah Fortune, but the latter's effort went well wide from point-blank range. Eight minutes later, Fortune was denied at the near post by Dolland after a deep free kick from Natalia bounced uncomfortably in the six-yard box.
Although Pleasantville tried to seize the initiative on the back of Nikita's individual play and crafty runs, they also had to thank their centre-back Mikalah Guerero for some timely interceptions at the back to thwart SJC counter-attacks.
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