Defending champions Frazsiers Whip FC and Arnett Gardens will take contrasting leads into Saturday afternoon’s Jamaica Women’s Premier League (JWPL) second-leg semi-final matches against Real Mona FC and Los Perfectos, respectively, at the UWI-JFF/Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence.

Frazsiers Whip look well set to advance to a fourth-straight final with a big 5-0 lead over Real Mona, while Arnett Gardens have a 3-2 advantage on Los Perfectos FC.

The Courtney Dowdie-coached Frazsiers Whip are a solid bet to extend their unbeaten run this season to 12 games. Their run includes last weekend’s first-leg win against a young Real Mona team that only secured their semi-final spot on the final week of the regular season.

Frazsiers Whip have scored almost 70 goals and could go on another scoring spree. The competition’s top scorer Christine Salmon has combined with Shanel Spence and Nevillegail Able to notch 54 goals.

Spence led the scoring in the first leg with a double.

Real Mona have shown they can fight.

After picking up only one point from their first two games on their return to the competition, Real Mona clawed their way into the top four, beating last season’s finalists Cavalier FC to secure their progress.

Real Mona are now up against the best women’s football team in the country, however, and would require either a meltdown from Frazsiers Whip or a massive improvement to overturn a five-goal deficit. It is noteworthy that Frazsiers Whip have conceded just four goals all season.

The second game at the venue could be an epic, however, between two teams who have the opportunity to make amends for losing in the semi-finals last season.

Arnett Gardens were eliminated by Cavalier last season, while Los Perfectos was knocked out by Frazsiers Whip.

This game could also come down to a shoot-out between Arnett’s Shikira Douglas and Los Perfectos’ Venicia Reid, both of whom scored braces in last week’s game.

Both players will carry the hopes of their teams. But while Arnett can also depend on Tuanashae Hamilton, Sade Berry and Suen Gregory, the veteran Reid has scored 22 of Los Perfectos’s 35 goals this season.

— Paul A Reid

SATURDAY’S GAMES

•3:00 pm — Real Mona vs Frazsiers Whip

•5:30 pm — Los Perfectos vs Arnett Gardens

Courtney Dowdie, Frazsiers Whip FC head coach