Garvey Maceo, McGrath High into DaCosta Cup final
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Two-time champions Garvey Maceo High and first time finalists McGrath High will meet in Saturday’s final of the ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup football competition after wins over Glenmuir High and Ocho Rios High in the semi-finals played at the National Stadium on Wednesday.
Garvey Maceo High produced an upset to beat favourites Glenmuir High 4-2 on penalties, after the Clarendon neighbours had played out a dour 0-0 draw.
Earlier, Shane Pusey scored four times to carry McGrath High to a 6-1 come-from-behind drubbing of Ocho Rios High in the first game of the double-header.
Garvey Maceo, who were the last team to beat Glenmuir High this season before Wednesday, snapped an impressive 12- game winning run by Glenmuir High who had retained their ISSA Champions Cup title last weekend, beating Jamaica College in the final.
Since losing to Garvey Maceo in the final game of the first round, Glenmuir High had cruised through the daCosta Cup, topping groups in three straight rounds and also produced a series of impressive wins on their way to becoming the first school to retain the Champions Cup title.
Garvey Maceo High were coming off back-to-back losses, beaten 2-0 by Ocho Rios in the final game of the quarterfinal round and then were eliminated in the first round of the Champions Cup by Hydel High.
Both teams missed on their first attempt in the penalty shoot-outs before Garvey Maceo scored their next four while Glenmuir High missed on their fourth attempt.
In the first game, Pusey scored four times to lead the St Catherine-based school into the final in what was an anti-climatic ending of the season for Ocho Rios High who had their best ever season in the competition, getting to the last four for the first time ever and also qualifying for and winning a game in the Champions Cup competition.
Ocho Rios lost their last two games of the season by an 11-2 aggregate, beaten 5-1 by Glenmuir High in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup and 6-1 on Wednesday after taking the lead in both games.
Keanu Reid gave Ocho Rios High a good start when he scored in the 6th minute, his shot redirected past goalkeeper Orlando Griffiths for his 25th goal of the season.
That would be it for the St Ann team as McGrath High who were in their second semi-finals and after winning the Ben Francis Cup last season, took over and drew level a minute later with an own goal.
Farrel Tucker gave McGrath High the lead in the 10th minute when he scored from the penalty spot after Ashawn Harris, who had scored the own goal, fouled Jimm Mitchell in the 18- yard box.
Pusey scored his first when he made the score 3-1 in the 22nd minute and then scored three more in the second half, in the 48th, 54th and in time added, as he ripped the Ocho Rios defence to shreds.