Newly crowned Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Premiership Division champion, Naparima College, moved one step closer to a historic treble after edging St Augustine Secondary 1-0 in semifinal one of the Coca Cola Boys' Intercol on Friday at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva.
The Angus Eve-coached Naps with the pressure of expectation on their shoulders started with purpose against the East Zone’s top knockout team. The southern giants believed they had struck early when Riquelme Phillips swept home in the opening stages, but the assistant referee’s flag cut celebrations short for offside.
Despite their dominance, the match remained goalless at the interval, thanks in large part to St Augustine’s defensive organisation and the steady work of goalkeeper Tyrese Henry.
In the second half, Henry grew even more influential, producing a string of sharp saves to frustrate the Naps front line. However, the breakthrough finally came in the 55th minute, a corner whipped into the box caused chaos, and a clumsy handball from Mickel Murray left the referee no choice but to point to the spot.
Jabari Rodriguez stepped up and delivered with ice-cold composure, slotting home the penalty to give Naparima College the 1-0 advantage. From there, the “Green Machine” of St Augustine were forced to rely heavily on their standout keeper, as Henry turned in a "Man-of-the-Match" performance diving, stretching, and blocking everything Naps sent his way to keep his team within touching distance.
In the end, St Augustine ran out of time as Naparima’s discipline and control allowed them to see out the match and seal a hard-earned win that now leaves them just one victory away from completing the coveted SSFL treble. They await the winner of semifinal number two on Monday between the North Zone champion St Anthony's College and Signal Hill Secondary, the Tobago Zone winner.
