GARVEY Maceo High made a winning start in defence of their ISSA daCosta Cup title with a 3-0 win over Foga Road High in Zone I action at Stadium East yesterday.

Daniel Scott grabbed two goals, scoring in the first and 23rd minutes, while Rajay McLaughlin put the icing on the cake in minute 65.

Daniel Scott opened the scoring in the first minute with a glancing header before doubling the advantage, side-footing home in the 23rd minute, which effectively put the game to bed.

Rajay McLaughlin rammed home from close range following a brilliant run by Omarion O’Brian in the 65th minute.

It was, by and large, one-way traffic as the champions known as the Cubans dictated the pace and possession and were easy winners.

Scott, along with Jihari Williams, Omarion O’Brian, Rajay McLaughlin, Rushawn White and Malik Robinson, had things their own way and could have won by a much wider margin.

But in reality, the standard was pretty ordinary and lacked real excitement as patrons found other things for entertainment.

But that meant little to winning coach, Lester Hibbert of Garvey Maceo as he was more focused on securing three points.

“We can’t ask for anything better to start the first game of the season,” he said. “To get the glitches off, three goals, three points. What more can a coach ask for from his boys?

“There’s a lot more work to be done, because as you progress in the competition and as you play different teams the expectation is going to be high and you’re going to see more quality.

“We see what we need to work on as a team and we have to go on the pitch now and do the homework.”

However, the confident Hibbert quickly noted that there will be no pressure from him on his players this season, despite knowing that they will be targeted as champions.

“I don’t put any pressure on them, they are boys,” he said. “All I ask from them is to just come out, perform, play, and just let us get the result that is needed.

“To get three goals, your striker getting two goals to start the competition, ask any coach in the world, he would be proud.

“But what we have to do now is to stay focused, stay disciplined, go on the training ground, work hard, dig deep and guess what? They are coming for the defending champions and we have to just make ourselves ready for all the teams to come.”

Meanwhile, a sombre Jason Clowson, head coach of Foga Road, remained optimistic.

“It was a good game in patches,” he said. “We made a few errors, and we’re playing the defending champions.

“We made some adjustments in the second half and we came back in the game. This is a defending champion, and we match[ed] up with them for a good part of the game but [it’s] just that we made some little errors — and if you make errors against a quality team, you’re going to get punished.

“Well, we are taking it game by game. We have another very good, competitive match coming up next Saturday, playing against Kemps Hill, and we’re going for a positive result in that one.”

Saturday’s results:

Garvey Maceo 3, Foga Road 0

Herbert Morrison 1, Irwin 2

St James 2, Maldon 3

Cornwall College 6, Green Pond 0

Anchovy 0, Frome 2

Knockalva 0, Rusea’s 3

Manning’s 7, Little London 0

Cedric Titus 3, Spot Valley 1

Newell 0, Maggotty 2

B B Coke 2, Munro 0

deCarteret College 0, May Day 0

Holmwood 0, Christiana 3

McGrath 1, Charlemont 0

Old Harbour 7, Tacius Golding 0

York Castle 4, Discovery Bay 3

Ocho Rios 2, Ferncourt 1

Green Island 0, Cambridge 2

Brown’s Town 2, Marcus Garvey 1

Cornwall College’s Carlondo Morris (right) gets away from Green Pond High’s Jamil Jarrett in their ISSA daCosta Cup Zone A game played at Cornwall College in St James on Saturday. Morris scored a hat-trick to lead Cornwall College to a 6-0 win.Paul Reid

Maldon High’s Kevin Hawthorne (left) is being challenged by St James High’s Garnet Gladston in their ISSA daCosta Cup Zone A first-round game played at Jarrett Park in Montego Bay on Saturday. Hawthorne scored a double as Maldon High came from two goals down to win 3-2.Paul Reid