Miracle Ministries, Pleasantville in girls intercol final

Pleasantville Secondary and Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School will meet in the final of the girls' national intercol competition at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo on Thursday, after getting nervy semi-final wins over Scarborough Secondary and St Joseph's Convent PoS on Sunday.

Pleasantville journeyed to Carnbee, Tobago to take on the reigning girls' Big 5 champions Scarborough, with a 59th-minute goal by Natalia Gosine doing the trick for a 1-0 win in the southern school.

In this year's Big 5 semi-final, the high-scoring Pleasantville team were blanked 2-0 by Scarborough, who got goals from their TT women's football team players J'Eleisha Alexander and Talia Martin. The Big 5 final will be played on Wednesday.

With Martin ruled out through injury and Alexander included in coach Richard Hood's squad for TT's Concacaf women's Gold Cup qualifier versus Mexico on Tuesday, Pleasantville got revenge over their Tobago rivals.

The Central zone champions Miracle Ministries put their own Big 5 semi-final loss in the rear-view mirror, as they got by St Joseph's Convent PoS by a 3-2 margin in a penalty shootout, after a riveting 2-2 tie through regulation time at the Couva East Secondary compound.

Sydney Pollard gave Miracle Ministries the lead in the eight minute and the Central champions held a 1-0 lead at halftime. TT youth player Kaitlyn Darwent equalised for St Joseph's Convent in the 52nd minute as she casually tucked in a low cross from the right.

The closing stages of the semi-final saw absolute pandemonium on the sidelines from opposing fans, with two goals being scored within a wild four-minute span. Miracle Ministries took a 2-1 lead in the 76th minute with a goal by Aaqila Virgil, but St Joseph's Convent got a dramatic equaliser in the final minute of the 80-minute match through Bethany Phillip. The St Joseph's Convent player applied a deft touch to a free kick to guide the ball past Miracle Ministries goalkeeper Kimbrelynn Rampersad.

The Miracle Ministries custodian had the final say in the contest, as she made three saves in the shootout to give her team the dramatic 3-2 victory. Rampersad was among three keepers named to the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) girls' All-Star team last season.

From 3 pm on Thursday, Rampersad and her Miracle Ministries team will test their mettle and resolve against the talented Gosine sisters and a determined Pleasantville team in the national intercol final.