St Benedict's edge 'Naps' 1-0, go top of SSFL premier division

SOUTH zone powerhouse school St Benedict’s College (ten points) jumped to the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) premier division summit on September 21 when they got a tight 1-0 win against four-time premier division winners Naparima College at Mahaica Oval, Point Fortin.

St Benedict’s, who won the premier division crown in 2022 and finished runners-up to holders Fatima College last year, got an early first-half goal from playmaker and Trinidad and Tobago youth player Josiah Ochoa to continue their unbeaten run in the young league season.

Also in South, reigning champions Fatima (seven points) made a statement of their own when they got a 2-0 win away to national intercol holders Presentation College (San Fernando) at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella.

In a rematch of this season’s curtain-raising National Gas Company Super Cup match, Fatima showed their win a couple of weeks ago was no fluke with Levi Smith and reigning SSFL Player of the Year Michael Chaves scoring late in the second half to hand the “Pres Lions” their first loss of the season. Chaves, who fractured his leg during a TT Premier Football League match in March, appears to be working his way back to top form and those signs could be ominous for opposition defenders.

Fatima moved up to the fourth spot with the win, with Presentation slipping to the seventh spot.

Arima North Secondary and Malick Secondary (both eight points) entered the match day atop the 16-team table, and they still couldn’t be separated after 90 minutes at the Arima Velodrome as they played to a 1-1 draw. Josante Duncan opened the scoring for the visitors in the 28th minute, with Arima getting a 54th-minute equaliser through former Fatima student Micha’el John.

Both teams were bumped down one spot each, with Arima sliding to second spot and Malick now occupying third position.

On Serpentine Road, St Clair, hosts St Mary’s College and Signal Hill Secondary played to a 2-2 draw, with the former’s captain, Kyle Phillip, netting a brace to appease his supporters. The “Saints” were unable to secure all three points, though, as Antonio Hopkins equalised with a spectacular left-footed effort in the 59th minute to ensure his team a share of the spoils.

There were a few surprise results to close off this round’s matches, as Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School defeated Queen’s Royal College 1-0 to get their first points of the season, with St Augustine Secondary edging St Anthony’s College by a similar score to open their 2024 account as well.

Having conceded 16 goals in their first three matches, the newly promoted Miracle Ministries showed the Royalians they aren’t in the premier division to make up numbers as Aaron Clement scored the lone goal of the contest to secure a precious result.

Meanwhile, in St Augustine, Elijah Baptiste scored in the second half as the “Green Machine” downed the reigning north zone intercol champs St Anthony’s to move from 15th to 13th on the table. In Trincity, Trinity College East also got their first points of the season as first-half goals by star attacker Khaleem Prince and Xavier Maricheau earned them a 2-1 win over east giants San Juan North Secondary. Trinity moved up to 11th spot, with San Juan dropping two places to ninth.

SSFL premier division standings

Team*GP*W*D*L*GF*GA*GD*Pts

1.St Benedict's*4*3*1*0*6*2*4*10

2.Arima North*4*2*2*0*9*2*7*8

3.Malick*4*2*2*0*10*6*4*8

4.Fatima*3*2*1*0*11*1*10*7

5.Naparima*4*2*1*1*6*4*2*7

6.Signal Hill*4*2*1*1*10*10*0*7

7.Presentation (San Fernando)*3*2*0*1*8*3*5*6

8.St Anthony's College*4*2*0*2*9*5*4*6

9.San Juan North*4*2*0*2*7*6*1*6

10.St Mary's College*4*1*1*2*5*12*-7*4

11.Trinity East*4*1*0*3*7*9*-2*3

12.QRC*4*1*0*3*5*7*-2*3

13.St Augustine*2*1*0*1*1*5*-4*3

14.Miracle Ministries PHS*4*1*0*3*2*16*-14*3

15.Speyside*3*0*1*2*5*8*-3*1

16.East Mucurapo*3*0*0*3*1*6*-5*0