NEXT Gen Football Academy lived up to expectations by defeating Kingston Football Academy (KFA) 2-0 to win the inaugural ISSA Construction/Reinas Cup at Campion College on Sunday.

Next Gen had defeated KFA in both regular season games and entered the final of Jamaica’s first-ever Under-20 Girls’ football competition as favourites.

National youth representative Natoya Atkinson put Next Gen on the path to victory when she found the back of the net in the seventh minute. But, they were unable to build on the early goal and this left KFA with a glimmer of hope to get back in the game. But the team clad in red and white failed to take advantage of several good chances they created in the first half and went into the break trailing.

Any chances of a turnaround in fortunes for KFA were snuffed out when Ashanti Lewis thundered home from close range to make it 2-0 to Next Gen in the 52nd minute.

KFA were unable to replicate the type of performance that saw them blow away regular season champions BayLynk in the semi-finals, and failed to seriously test the Next Gen goal.

Next Gen Captain Tajay Stephenson was voted the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

“I am really excited about receiving this award because I’ve really worked hard for it, and I am really grateful that we won the competition,” she said.

Next Gen Coach Kadeesh Fishley is pleased that her girls were able to overcome adversity to become champions.

“I am very delighted for what the girls have achieved,” she said. “We are not privileged like some of the teams in that we were not able to train as much as we would want to, but every game day they came out and they did everything to the best of their ability and they pushed through — and that’s why they are champions.”

KFA Head Coach Stafford Marshall says his players went away from what worked for them during the play-offs, and that cost them the final.

“We didn’t play as unified as we did in the semi-finals,” he disclosed. “In asking them after the game, they don’t think they played as a unit today as they did in the last two games. That was the difference maker. We conceded early and panicked and stop trusting ourselves and our teammates.”

Neo Oxford, the tournament organiser and founder of Reinas Football Academy, says that the three-month competition was what was craved by local football fans.

“It’s been a much-needed breath of fresh air for female football in the country,” Oxford said. “Over the past three months, 200 girls got the opportunity to play competitive football and they were able to travel and play in front of big crowds. Hats off to Proven in Yallahs and BayLynx in Clarendon for getting large crowds to come out and support.

“This summer we brought a product to the Jamaican football lifestyle that many fans were hungry to see.”