CATHERINE HALL, St James – Clarendon College won their eighth daCosta Cup title last night beating Cornwall College 2-1 in the final at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in front of a nearly full house.

Despite playing with 10 men from the 14th minute after goalkeeper Tafari Chambers was sent off for deliberately handling the ball outside his area, Clarendon dominated the game for long periods, and goals from National Under-20 players Nique Daley and Lamar Walker secured the title in a perfect season decorated with 15 wins.

It was the third perfect season in the competition in the last 10 years after Rusea’s High in 2011 and Cornwall College in 2016 also achieved the rare feat.

Clarendon started the better of the two with Walker, Daley and Ricardo McIntosh dictating the pace, creating a number of early chances, but were off target.

Clarendon were dealt a blow when goalkeeper Chambers was given a straight red card after he left his line in an attempt to stop a counter-attack led by Aiden Jokomba, but was ruled to have handled the ball by referee Oshane Nation.

He was replaced by Alston Corke, who had played in just two games all season, while midfielder Roderick Granville was the player sacrificed to accommodate the incoming custodian.

Corke got off to a shaky start as he almost caused a goal in the 35th minute when he miscontrolled a back pass from a teammate, allowing the ball to roll under his boot, but he recovered in time to clear the ball from the danger area.

McIntosh had a chance to give his team the lead in the 41st minute, but with just the Cornwall goalkeeper Peter Sinclair to beat, he powdered it off the intersection of the cross bar and the right post.

Despite being a man short, Clarendon started the more assertive in the second half and were rewarded when Daley finally broke away from his markers inside the 18-yard box to beat Sinclair high to his right in the 53rd minute.

Cornwall clawed their way back into the game when Sanjay Williams looped one past Corke at his near left post in the 64th minute.

Clarendon retook the lead in the 86th minute when Walker got his head to a corner from the right side and beat Sinclair from close range.

Clarendon College last won the title in 2014.