Clarendon College stays on course for D’Cup title
CLARENDON, Jamaica — Clarendon College stayed on course to win a third straight ISSA daCosta Cup title after they qualified for the semi-finals after beating McGrath High 3-1 in their rescheduled Group 4 game at Dinthill Technical on Tuesday.
The win was Clarendon College’s third of the second round and they topped the group with nine points while Manchester High finished second after beating Cornwall College 2-1 in their game played at Green Pond High in St James.
Clarendon College joined two other former champions Dinthill Technical and Garvey Maceo High as well as Manning’s School in the semi-finals of the daCosta Cup and will also play in the ISSA Champions Cup.
Manchester High and Cornwall College who were third will contest the Ben Francis KO.
At Dinthill, Clarendon College led 2-0 at half time thanks to goals from Christopher Hull in the 15
th
minute and Rushi Parchment in time added at the end of the first half.
Halrick Taffe pulled one back for McGrath in the 61th minute, their first goal of the second round but Keheim Dixon restored Clarendon’s two-goal lead when he scored in the 77
th
minute.
At Green Pond Manchester High held off Cornwall College with goals from Densil Lee in the first half and Roshaun Reynolds in the second half while Dane Buckley pulled Cornwall College level at the half time break.
Manchester High had the first chance to score but Cornwall College’s goalkeeper Jordan Shaw parried a shot from close range in the 10
th
minute.
Cornwall College took over the game, dominating the midfield but despite creating several chances found Manchester High’s goalkeeper Othneil Reid had to beat.
Lee gave Manchester High the lead in the 45
th
minute when a cross from the right found him at the far post and he headed powerfully past Shaw from close range.
Cornwall College levelled the scores in less than a minute when Buckley hammered home a shot from close range, the ball hitting the underside of the cross bar and into the goal.
The Cornwall College defence was undone by another cross in the 74
th
minute and Reynolds was on hand at the far right post to score from about a foot out.
Cornwall College had chances to at least draw the game late in the second half but Reid pulled off a series of good saves to deny them and preserve the win for his team.
Paul A Reid
