The Under 15 interschool’s football championship came to a dramatic conclusion on Friday afternoon in front of a jam packed and red hot SAB sporting facility.
The atmosphere was electrifying, the noise level pleasingly deafening and the on field action exhilarating as Micoud Secondary silenced the Ciceron Secondary crowd in what has to be the most exciting school’s football final in a very long time.
The day kicked off with the third place play off in which Soufriere Secondary hit the St. Mary’s College with a vital last minute goal to which the Samarians had no time to respond. The game ended at 1-0 in favour of Soufriere and secured them the bronze medal. Following that encounter, the highly pumped final kicked into gear.
It was an end to end adrenaline-charged encounter from the sound of the very first whistle. Micoud appeared to have been servicing their very adept wide men with long diagonal passes originating from their half of the pitch. These wingers would then endeavour to weave their way into the opponent’s eighteen yard box before an attempt at goal was made. Ciceron was a lot less methodical, using brute strength and physicality to win almost every personal battle on the pitch while attempting to use crosses as their main form of ammunition due to their aerial dominance. The Ciceron players also appeared to have gotten invaluable encouragement from the crowd as they fed off the pulsations of the SAB facility which was littered with their supporters. However first blood was drawn by Micoud Seconday School via the penalty spot. Young Saviola Elva, a national under 15 player got the better of Ciceron defender and fellow compatriot Meshak Emmanuel through a lethal change of pace. Meshak, realising the imminent goal threat put in a desperate last ditch tackle which caught the heels of the elusive Elva, thus committing a foul and giving away the resultant penalty kick. The spot kick was then duly converted by the in-form Micoud Secondary forward. Sadly for the men from Micoud, this advantage was short lived. A deadly corner floated into the Micoud 6 yard area incited complete chaos among the defenders. Their inability to clear their lines opened the opportunity for Ciceron defender Meshack Emmanuel to redeem himself with a vital toe poke which assisted a loose ball over the Micoud’s goal line thus restoring parity in the game. The crowd erupted into absolute pandemonium upon realising that Ciceron had levelled the scoreline. The breathless half of football came to a close with the scores still level and the great multitudes in the stands craving more of the high intensity action.
The game restarted at the same lightning pace with both teams placing great emphasis on attacking. Top quality football interplay was on display and it invoked due reaction from the massive crowd. The goalkeepers both made eye catching stops to keep their team from falling behind in the second half of the game. Regulation time was upon us and neither team was able to earn an advantage which meant that game would be decided via the dreaded penalty kicks. In the end, Ciceron Secondary squandered the last of their five penalties, thus handing over to Micoud the title as Interschool’s Under 15 Football Champions.
The vibe inside the stadium was infectious and the quality of football on display was near impeccable. This hence, is a great sign for the development of school’s football and in general youth football in St. Lucia. A medal presentation was held immediately following the game in which the president of the Saint Lucia Football Association Inc. Mr Lyndon Cooper, youth football coordinator with the SLFA Mr Dennis Wallace and the school’s sports representative from the Ministry of Youth and Sports Isabel Marquis were all present. The Saint Lucia Football Association Inc. continues to collaborate with the Ministry of Youth and Sports to improve the level of football in St. Lucia as is explained by the mandate of the SLFA’s strategic plan (SP2020). This collaboration continues to reap great dividends as was evident by the spectacle on display at the final and by the standard of the entire tournament. The partnership between the two entities is expected to strengthen and next year’s competition is expected to even exceed the high footballing standards of this year.