By Samuel Peters
The Princess Margaret School (PMS) claimed a thrilling victory over ABICE in the Patrick C Whyte Ministry of Sports’ Boys Under 20 finals at the ARG on Friday in a game that saw both teams battle it out fiercely decided on penalties.
The sides were evenly matched putting on a great show for a crowd of approximately 1,000 supporters. ABICE was the first to score when going 1-0 up and dominated play for most of the first half, but then PMS shot back in the latter stages when Tehjano Jarvis was able to put away a ball that ricocheted off of the keeper into the back of the net to draw the game level at 1-1.
A minute later, Jonathan Shoy was able to skillfully put away a loose ball to put PMS in the lead, ending the first half in their favour 2-1. The second half saw both teams trading blows from end to end, showing the competitive nature of both sides. However, just before the second half came to an end, ABICE was able to equalise via their number 10, ending the game at a two all stalemate.
With no extra time being played, the match came down to sudden death where the game was decided via a penalty shootout. PMS would go on to win the penalty shootout, 3-2, with goalkeeper Jaquan Athanaze being named player of the match. Coach of the PMS, Lexi Phoenix claimed that he had no doubt regarding the outcome of the match, in spite of the match being decided on penalties. He credited his team’s performance to the training sessions that they had leading up to the match and also praised his goalkeeper’s heroics that were pivotal in helping his team claim the coveted title.
Contrastingly, the Coach of the ABICE team, Rowan Porridge Benjamin, pointed to his team making costly mistakes and questioned the second goal scored by PMS which saw them go ahead in the first half. However, he remained upbeat that his team played with their heart, though his team lost on penalties, he was pleased with the quality of the game.
In the 2024 Schools Football season, Alan Henry of PMS dominated the Under 14 division with 18 goals and also claimed the MVP title, while Joshua James from SJA scored 11 goals in Under 16 and earned MVP honours in his category. Greg Williams of PMS led the Under 20 division with 13 goals.
The goalkeeping awards showcased exceptional talent, with Israel John of CHSS winning in Under 14, while Athanaze of PMS impressively secured both Under 16 and Under 20 categories. Trevaughn Weston from SJA was recognized as Best Manager, and Phoenix earned the St Clair Christian Coach of the Year.