WHILE thrilled with his team’s 5-0 victory over St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) in the 2024 ISSA/TIP Friendly Society School Girl Football competition, Excelsior High School Head Coach Xavier Gilbert was dissatisfied with his attackers’ wastefulness in front of the goal.

Playing at Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex in the second game of the double-header, Ricquanna Richards led the way for the defending champions with three goals in the 11th, 33rd, and 68th minutes. Andrene Smith (second minute) and Destiny Powell (37th minute) were the other scorers, ensuring that Excelsior started off on a winning note.

“Not the best performance but five goals and a clean sheet is good,” Gilbert told the
Jamaica Observer. “We were a little bit rusty and wasted quite a number of opportunities in front of goal.

“We didn’t get a chance to get in some practice games prior to the start of the competition, for various reasons, but no excuses. So I know, based on that, we weren’t going to be as sharp as we normally are at this point in time but there is still some time to get in some work — and we are going to put in the work to get there.

Despite this, Gilbert emphasised the importance of hard work, player development, and continuous training. He said that the team aims to engage players outside of competitions to ensure continuous improvement and a steady stream of talent coming through the ranks.

“It is just to work, continue to work, and continue to develop the players during the competition and after the competition,” he said. “We try to engage them as much as possible outside the competition so they will improve and continue to train. So when others leave, we don’t want it to seem as if because these players leave, then we miss them so we try to ensure that we have players coming through the ranks continuously.”

STATHS Head Coach Conroy Omally says, despite the loss, he was pleased with how his players performed.

“I think it was a good performance,” he said. “Our bench is very weak and, of course, against Excelsior if you can manage to keep them at bay for the 80 minutes…not conceding more than five goals, [that] is a very good game for us.”

Last season’s runners-up Holmwood Technical defeated Glenmuir High 11-0 to open their account right away in the first game of the double-header.

Jamara James netted in the 20th, 40th, 53rd, and 75th minutes while Rhiannon Powell scored in the 18th, 61st, and 68th minutes. McKayda McLean scored in the 25th and 50th minutes while Abby Kaye Reid (40th) and Allyeah McAnuff (65th) were the other scorers.

This year TIP Friendly Society has contributed $5 million to the competition.