KIRKVINE, Jamaica — Garvey Maceo High School scored eight second half goals on Saturday to beat the hapless St Thomas Technical High 12-0 and book their spot in the semi-final round of the ISSA daCosta Cup football competition.

The Clarendon-based school edged St Elizabeth Technical High [STETHS] on goal-difference after both finished the round tied on seven points.

Fireworks were expected and that is exactly what happened as both Garvey Maceo and STETHS went into the final game of the round of the competition knowing what they had to do and that was to score goals.

The two combined for 18 goals as STETHS beat Frome Technical 6-0 but that was not enough as Garvey Maceo finished with a goal-difference of 14 to STETHS’ 11. 

STETHS and Frome Technical will now play in the Ben Francis KO competition, while Garvey Maceo joins Dinthill Technical and Manning’s School in the semi-final of the daCosta Cup with the fourth team to be decided on Tuesday when Group 4 is completed. 

Saturday’s action arguably exceeded expectations as STETHS went into the round of games ahead on goal difference but were up against a Frome Technical team that had beaten St Thomas Technical 9-2 earlier in the week and who were not expected to give Garvey Maceo much of a challenge. 

STETHS got off to a fast start and led 4-0 at half time, the same score at Kirkvine and were virtually in the lead but Garvey Maceo responded with eight second half goals while STETHS managed just two after Rohane Brown was substituted because of an injury.

Cousins netted in the 8

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, 28

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, 56

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 , 62nd and 74

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 minutes, Kayon Henry also chipped in with four goals – 19

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, 68

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, 78

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 and two minutes into time added one at the end of the second half while Cleo Clarke, Lloyd Mann and Christopher Mundle also got on the score sheet. 

Frome Technical who were in contention mathematically going into the round, started well but gave up a goal in the 16

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 minute to Negus Daley who was scoring his first of the season, and their resistance crumbled.

Brown got the first of his two goals in the 19

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 minute, then doubled it in the 43rd while Michael Jerman added a fourth in the 44

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 and STETHS appeared to have wrestled the initiative away from Garvey Maceo and on their way to the top four. 

Zamario Douglas added a fifth goal in the 51st minute but they had to wait until the 83rd when Davin Wright got the sixth but by then Garvey Maceo  were ahead and added to their lead at Kirkvine. 

– Paul A Reid