The Arnett Gardens FC head coach Garnett Lawrence — almost mirroring how his players fared on the field — appeared stunned as he searched for words to describe their mauling at the hands of Cavalier FC.

Arnett Gardens were beaten 0-4 by their marauding rivals in the Jamaica Women’s Premier League (JWPL) first-leg semi-final showdown at Constant Spring field on Saturday.

Lawrence summed it up perfectly, saying “it was a bad day at the park”, as Arnett Gardens conceded four goals for the first time this season. The heavy defeat certainly came at the wrong time for them.

“Indiscipline got the better of us today and from we went down a goal, it was hard to get the females back up,” he pointed out. “We are defeated but not deflated,” Lawrence insisted.

Both regular season games between Arnett Gardens and Cavalier drew 2-2 and another close encounter was expected.

But once Cavalier’s skipper Kersha Thomas unlocked the Arnett backline in the fifth minute, the writing was on the wall.

The ever-dangerous Shaneil Spence netted two quick goals in the 49th and 51st and was named player of the match. Tatyana Polack put the icing on the cake in the 84th minute.

But Lawrence remained optimistic that Arnett Gardens can turn it around next Saturday.

“We know we have a second leg. It was a bad day at the park but we had some niggling injuries, so we hope we can work through them. This is Arnett Gardens, we will bounce back,” he noted.

But bouncing back will be a Herculean task, as Cavalier have one foot in the final and it is hard to see them not seeing off Arnett Gardens.

The Cavalier Head Coach Everdean Scarlett said it was a good performance by his team as they came out and put on a good show.

“Arnett Gardens is a tough team and we knew what we had to do to shut them down. We played to expectations and got four goals and that’s a good thing,” said Scarlett.

“Every time we play Arnett Gardens, we score early and we lose concentration and let them back in the game. So, I just asked them to focus for 90 minutes and they did just that,” he added

“Before the start of the game, I asked my team to identify the Arnett Gardens midfielders and not let them play and hence, when they don’t play, their wide players can’t get into the game. My team played to instructions and I am very proud of them tonight.”

The second leg is set for Saturday and based on their performance in the first leg, Cavalier look set to reach the JWPL final. That would keep alive the club’s hopes of winning that unique double, following in the footsteps of the men’s team which won the Jamaica Premier League.

Cavalier’s Tatyana Polack (centre) celebrates with teammates after scoring the team’s fourth goal during the Jamaica Women’s Premier League first-leg semi-final match at Constant Spring field on Saturday. Photo: JFF

Arnett Gardens Tuanashae Hamilton (foreground) holds off a Cavalier player during the Jamaica Women’s Premier League first-leg semi-final match at Constant Spring field on Saturday. Photo: JFF