DEFENDING champions St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) registered a fighting 2-1 win over Lennon High in their 2016 Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/FLOW daCosta Cup football semi-final at Manchester High School yesterday.

As a consequence, STETHS will face Cornwall College in the final to be played at the Catherine Hall Stadium in Montego Bay this Saturday.

The winning goal for STETHS was scored by Nickalous Gayle in the 78th minute when the match seemed destined for extra time.

Tyrone Mullings had given STETHS a 33rd-minute lead before Ray Campbell ensured parity for the team 10 minutes later.

It was also sweet revenge for STETHS’s coach Omar Wedderburn, who lost to Lennon High in the Ben Francis knockout final recently.

Losing Coach Merron Gordon said he was looking to win another title, but lost all hopes due to a crucial error by his goalkeeper, who failed to collect a bouncing ball that deflected off his hands and into the back of the goal.

“The team, however, has won the Ben Francis KO title, and I am really very proud of the players as they have played extremely well throughout the season,” Gordon admitted.

Both teams began the first half a little tentatively, probably intent on not conceding an early goal with strong defensive plays by thwarting anything that threatened. Lennon High produced the first threatening attack inside STETHS’s penalty area but was stopped in their approach as the defenders cleared the danger.

With attacks switching from either end, STETHS, too, had their moments of close calls on Lennon’s penalty box, but strong defensive work from their opponents denied them of any worthwhile scoring chances.

From one of STETHS’s attacks on the right flank, the ball was played inside the Lennon’s penalty box that produced a scramble for the defence to clear. The ball eluded the defenders and went straight to the unmarked Tahjae Palmer on the left inside the six-yard box, where he calmly pushed past goalkeeper Tyrone Mullings for a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute.

Lennon High picked up the pace for the equaliser and found it in the 43rd minute from a free kick awarded on the left flank. Ray Campbell took the kick from some 35 yards out, and his right-footer produced a brilliant goal, as the ball curved to the left of goalkeeper Kenroy Palmer’s hand and into the roof of the goal.

Second-half action was keenly contested as the teams continued to trade attacks.

STETHS’s Demar James, playing on the left, was always looking dangerous, and on several occasions he was confronted by two or three players who managed to dispossess him of the ball.

With another attack by STETHS on the left flank, they were awarded a free kick from 30 yards out that brought them the winning goal. Gayle’s right-footer floated over the defenders’ heads, dipped in front of goalkeeper Mullings, and deflected off his hands to give STETHS a 2-1 lead.

Lennon went in search of the equaliser as rain began pouring, but STETHS defended strongly to the final whistle despite coming under a number of attacks in the closing minutes.