Naparima College just cannot seem to stop winning, and on Saturday they extended their points tally at the top of the standings in the Premiership Division of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) to 20 points following a convincing 3-0 victory over the struggling Trinity Moka opponents.
Ezekiel Keser scored a double for the southerners and Mark Ramdeen scored the other to open a three-point advantage at the top of the 15-team table.
After the match, Naparima manager Percy Samlalsingh said the score so easily could have been 14-0, but his players didn't capitalize on the opportunities that came their way.
At St Mary's Ground on Serpentine Road, St Clair, Malick Secondary found themselves at the end of a brace from Flex Lewis and a general lesson from Pleasantville Secondary in a comprehensive 4-1 loss to the visitors.
Under the sweltering hot sun and irritating sandflies at the venue, Malick's defence was hardly settled when Lewis pounced for the opening goal in the first minute, to hand his team the advantage.
However, the Pleasantville celebrations were only shortlived, as Nickell Alexander levelled the scores with his item in the 4th minute. But the visitors seem to have gotten the better of the fluctuating affair that followed.
Malick should have scored from a build that came from nothing. Matthew Constantine weaved his way out of a tight Pleasantville defence and delivered for Zion Carpette on the left side. But Carpette, the scorer of many of Malick's goals this season, quickly released for an open Mamade Guerra on top the area. However, the latter, after going past two defenders, hit a weak shot that failed to trouble a busy Raheem Lee in the Pleasantville goalpost.
Pleasantville, with the speedy Dillon Yearwood on the right side, terrorised Amir Simmons in the first half. And it was through one of these attacks that the southerners went ahead. Goalkeeper Jaydon Taylor and his defence misjudged a Yearwood's cross from the right side. And when the ball was put back inside the area from the left side, Nikoli Mendoza met it sweetly on the volley, into an empty net for a 2-1 lead.
Coach Anthony Samuel's reluctance to plug the gaping hole in his defence on the left side, made them pay for it dearly. This time Lewis, the scorer of the first item-Lewis, found himself at the end of a cross, after Sherwin Andrews drove skilfully past some three defenders on the right side, and drilled the ball through an open Malick defence before Lewis met it at the far post to fire home in the 33rd minute.
Later, Yearwood set up his team's fourth goal, with another surging run down the right flank before delivering for Ephraim Brown to tap home in the 43rd minute for a 4-1 lead, which they took to the half-time interval.
Thereafter Samuels sought to stem the flow of attacks down his left side by making a few adjustments. But there was the answer for substitute Hezron Matthews who came in for Sherwin Andrews, and with only his second touch of the ball, he almost squeezed Yearwood's left side cross past the Malick custodian.
Malick later responded with a flurry of attacks which went off target or were saved by the Pleasantville goalkeeper.
Meanwhile, at Carapichaima Ground, the home team would count themselves lucky to preserve their unblemished record, in a 1-1 draw with Queen's Royal College.
The Royalians were unlucky not to have taken the lead from the penalty spot early in the encounter when the speedy Jaheim Granderson was hacked down in the box during one of his sterling runs down the flank. The entrusted Darrion Bradshaw missed the spot-kick. They were made to pay for that missed chance when Isaiah Samuel fired the home team into the lead.
The Royalians had to wait for the equaliser in the second half from Miguel Cross. Amnd in a last-ditched attempt for the winner, the dangerous Nathaniel James was put through on a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but he somehow missed the target, for a share of the points.
And over at Trinity College East Ground in Arouca, Javonn Gomes scored the tournament's first beaver-trick (four goals) to guide Trinity East to a 5-0 rout of St Mary's College. Terrell Wiley was the other goalscorer for the home team.
SATURDAY'S RESULTS
Naps 3 (Ezekiel Keser 2, Mark Ramdeen) vs Trinity Moka 0
Carapichaima 1 (Isaiah Samuel) vs QRC 1 (Miguel Cross)
St Anthony's 2 (Zion Williams, Darrius Douglas) vs East Mucurapo 2 (Zion Mc Leod, Delany Zamore)
St Benedict's 1 (Ackeem Mason) vs Speyside 0
Trinity East 5 (Javonn Gomes 4, Terrell Wiley) vs CIC 0
Pres 2 (Jaiye Sheppard, Ackeel Jacob) vs San Juan 1
Pleasantville Sec 4 (Flex Lewis 2, Nikoli Mendoza, Ephraim Brown) vs Malick 1 (Nickell Alexander)
LATEST STANDINGS
Teams*P*W*D*L*GF*GA*GD*PTS
1*Naparima College*8*6*2*0*21*8*+13*20
2*St. Anthony’s College*7*5*2*0*22*7*+15*17
3*Presentation College*7*5*1*1*21*5*+16*16
4*Carapichaima East*7*4*3*0*12*7*+5*15
5*East Mucurapo Secondary*7*3*3*1*14*8*+6*12
6*Pleasantville Secondary*7*3*1*3*12*10*2*10
7*Queen’s Royal College*7*3*1*3*10*16*-6*10
8*Malick Secondary*7*3*0*4*13*12*1*9
9*Trinity College East*7*2*2*3*12*11*1*8
10*Speyside High School*7*2*2*3*9*19*-10*8
11*San Juan North Secondary*7*2*1*4*12*7*+5*7
12*St. Augustine Secondary*7*1*4*2*14*13*1*7
13*St. Benedict’s College*7*2*0*5*7*15*-8*6
14*St. Mary’s College*8*1*1*6*5*20*-15*4
15*Trinity College, Moka*8*1*1*6*8*27*-19*4