Jerwyn Balthazar scored an early hat-trick to inspire an invincible Defence Force to crush Morvant Caledonia United 8-0 on Friday night to secure the Rawle Fletcher Trophy for the winner of the first round of the Digicel T&T Pro League.
And it appeared fitting for the Army/Coast Guard combination to take the trophy which was named after one of their teammates who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Couva in 2013.
The Rawle Fletcher is designed for the winner of the first round, while the Akeem Adams trophy is for round two and the Kevon Carter trophy for the third round winner. They were introduced last season in honour of these players and to increase the level of competition throughout the pro league.
Central FC made a clean sweep of the trophies last season, winning every round en route to lifting the league championship. But on Friday night the Marvin Gordon coached-Defence Force maintained their position at the summit of the 2015-16 standings as they raced to an unassailable 20 points to finish the first round.
Earlier this week, Gordon said his side will use every available cannon in their artillery to secure the first round trophy in honour of their former teammate Fletcher. Despite being without the prolific Devorn Jorsling due to injury and forward Richard Roy, who Gordon felt was not ready to start, the Defence Force came with all guns blazing from the start and could have scored when
Curtis Gonzalez picked out Balthazar with a cross from the leftside. However the latter turned his header wide of the target from the edge of the six yards box with only the second minute gone.
Balthazar would redeemed himself within the coming 11 minutes by bagging a hat-trick. First Balthazar, who had been given the responsibility of leading the team, gave his team the lead in the 10th minutes when he met Kishun Seecharan's corner with a glancing header than spun past rookie Caledonia goalie Deandre Villaroel.
Villaroel, who also stood between the uprights in Tuesday's 3-0 league loss at Club Sando, was beaten again in the 14th minute when a 25-yard Balthazar free-kick took a deflection in the box before entering the back of the net for a 2-0 cushion.
He then completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 21st minute. Ross Russell Jr was upended in the Caledonia box by defender Antonio Joseph, forcing referee Crystal Sobers to point to the spot. Balthazar stepped up and beat the dive of Villaroel and allowed his team to place one hand on the trophy.
The lopsided affair continued thereafter with Defence Force grabbing three more goals from defender Rodell Elcock, midfielder Sean Narcis and winger Seecharan, for a 6-0 scoreline before the break. Elcock's header off a Gonzales corner struck the underside of the crossbar before entering the Caledonia net in the 25th. And later a quick exchange between Balthazar and Seecharan resulted in Narcis scoring from close range just over the half hour mark.
Seecharan, who created havoc for Caledonia all night long, was finally rewarded when he raced on to Balthazar's long searching ball on the stroke of half-time and beat the on-rushing goalkeeper for goal number six. Still the misery didn't stop there for Caledonia who were without their 2006 World Cup midfielder Densill Theobald, expected to wing-out tomorrow for his third spell in the India I-League.
Despite their resistance, the Army got their seventh goal in the 55th minute when Ross Russell Jr galloped on to a through ball and rounded Villaroel before slotting the ball into an empty net.
Striker Kellon Serrette, who was denied by an offside flag earlier, completed the rout with a minute left in regular time with his goal for a 8-0 win.
In the second game of the Port-of-Spain double-header on Friday, substitute Brent Sam rescued San Juan Jabloteh with his goal that ensured a 2-2 draw with North East Stars who were playing their first game under new coach Ross Russell.
Jabloteh grabbed the lead inside two minutes of play through winger Kennedy Hinkson as fullback Caleb Sturge whipped in a telling cross which was steered into the path of Hinkson by Jamal Gay, and Hinkson struck it firmly past goalkeeper Cleon John from the edge of the six-yard area.
However a spectacular left-footed volley from Gorean 'Ratty' Highley, off a deep Rickel Dickson cross, beat goalkeeper Shemel Louison to level the score 1-1 in the 24th. Neil Mitchell's deflected strike on 64 minutes saw North East regain the lead for another time, before Sam spoiled the party by flicking Keyon Edwards' feed into the North East net with two minutes to go in the game.