Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth — In terms of quality, football’s purest connoisseurs may well have been unimpressed.

However, for the game’s excitement value, fans went home fully satisfied having watched defending champions St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) clip long-time parish rivals Munro College 2-1, in the ISSA/FLOW daCosta Cup at the STETHS Sports Complex here last Saturday.

Before a packed house on a sunny afternoon with good underfoot, conditions STETHS scored twice in two minutes, through Jovaney Brown in the 32nd minute and an under-pressure Munro defender (34th minute). Aneeko Allen, a shining light for Munro all afternoon, pulled one back for his school in the 57th minute.

STETHS, smarting from a 0-1 loss to Lacovia High in midweek and without top striker Romeo Wright, who suffered a fractured left leg against Maggotty High two weeks ago, started fast.

Inspired by their captain and midfield general Chris Andrew Dixon, STETHS, with rapid-fire passes from side to side, came forward in waves, keeping Munro pinned to their own half in the first 25 minutes. Ironically though, as the half-hour mark approached, Munro came closest to scoring. Munro’s Tevin Shaw countered rapidly down the left, escaping a defender’s fumbling tackle in the process and cutting inside, but with the goal at his mercy kicked across the face of goal. The ball flirted tantalisingly with the far post before sliding harmlessly past.

STETHS responded with more forward pressure and soon reaped rich rewards. Striker Jovaney Brown, who has been under intense scrutiny for errant shooting so far this season, capped good attacking play by finding goalkeeper Akym Davies’ right-hand corner with his right-footed grounder on 32 minutes.

STETHS fans were still celebrating that opening goal when Munro’s Ja-Michael Foster’s miscued attempted clearance turned out to be a bullet header lodged in his own net.

Such was dominance at that stage that their fans had visions of an unusually comfortable afternoon against their staunch rivals. But gradually, Munro’s confidence and composure built and their eventual goal was deserved.

Allen, a dangerous dribbler, won the ball just above the half line, 12 minutes into the second half and raced for goal, skillfully eluding STETHS defender Clifton Woodbine before beating goalkeeper Nickalous Gayle inside the far post.

STETHS wasted two glorious chances thereafter. First Brown, sent clear following magnificent combination play, kicked straight at ‘keeper Davies, and then Damar James with Davies at his mercy, volleyed high.

With the minutes ticking away Munro almost had the last laugh. But a header from second-half substitute, the towering, powerfully built Rashaad Buchanan went high.

The victory lifted STETHS to top of the Zone E table with 12 points. Munro College are third on eight points behind Lacovia High on 10 points.

— Garfield Myers