GOALS by Ty-Shawn Runford and captain Jamiel Hardware spurred 10-man Bridgeport High to a 2-1 win over reigning champions St George’s College in the second-round ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel Manning Cup Group Two fixture at the Constant Spring playing field yesterday.

Jhuvon Francis pulled back a goal for St George’s with 20 minutes left in the match, but despite a few nervous moments, the Portmore-based school held on to avenge the 3-2 loss to the champions in last year’s final.

In the early Group Two kick-off, many-time winners Jamaica College (JC) clipped 10-man Kingston College 1-0 (KC) and are now on the doorsteps of a place in the semi-final.

Odane Greensword popped up on the end of a corner kick to ram home in the 76th minute to separate the teams in a highly tactical and compact affair.

After their 2-0 victory over Bridgeport on Saturday, JC top the group on six points from their two matches. St George’s and Bridgeport follow with three each, while KC lie in the cellar position without a point.

In the feature match of yesterday’s double-header, Bridgeport took a sixth-minute lead when Runford struck from the penalty spot after defender Rashim Harrison had inadvertently handled the ball in the area.

Buoyed by the goal, the 2006 winners pushed the Light Blues on the backfoot with positive, attacking play in the early exchanges.

St George’s soon settled and by midway the first period they had Bridgeport marooned in their own half.

Despite a few last-ditch clearances, Bridgeport managed to get into the break without conceding against a rampant St George’s attack.

Just seven minutes into the second half, the influential Hardware scored against the run of play for Bridgeport when he latched onto a through-ball and cut inside before rifling in at goalkeeper Nico Campbell’s near post.

With Saturday’s thrilling 4-3 comeback win over Kingston College fresh in their minds, the St George’s team poured forward and were given a lifeline in the 70th minute when Jhuvon Francis slotted home a penalty kick after Bridgeport were punished for a hand-ball in the box.

Just four minutes later, Bridgeport’s fight was made even harder when Jay Lindsay was red-carded for a second bookable offence. A frantic final 15 minutes ensued as the Light Blues’ pressed forward for the equaliser, while the well-trained Bridgeport team lurked dangerously for the counter-attack to kill the game off.

St George’s captain Devon Williams missed the opportunity to rescue his team when his unchallenged header ballooned harmlessly over the goal in time added on.

In the second stage of the Manning Cup, the three group winners, along with the best second-placed team, will progress to the semi-final.

In the final Group Two fixtures, JC are scheduled to take on St George’s in the marquee clash, while a resurgent Bridgeport will tackle Kingston College.