San Juan North, Trinity East advance to East zone Intercol final

East zone powerhouse San Juan North Secondary and Trinity College East advanced to the East zone Intercol final in the 2024 Coca-Cola Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) season with contrasting semifinal wins at the Arima Velodrome on November 13.

In the first game of the double-header, Arima North Secondary were stunned when they lost 5-4 on sudden-death penalties to Trinity after a goalless stalemate through 90 minutes.

Arima, the 2023 East zone Intercol champions, couldn't find their winning touch from the spot as Trinity emerged victorious to break a 3-3 penalty deadlock to setup a rematch of the 2022 East zone Intercol final with San Juan.

The boys from "Bourg Mulatresse" were in a ruthless mood in their encounter with championship division team El Dorado East Secondary as they romped to a 5-0 victory.

Striker Jahdel Chase-Charles and national Under-20 playmaker Lindell Sween scored two goals apiece, with Jaheem Danclar scoring the other goal with a precise header in first-half stoppage-time.

The lanky Chase-Charles opened the scoring in the 16th minute, with Man of the Match Sween making it 2-0 two minutes later. Sween, a dangerous left-footer at his best, made it 3-0 in the 28th minute before Danclar's item gave San Juan a resounding 4-0 lead at halftime.

Chase-Charles was played through on goal in the 66th minute, only to be denied by a point-blank save. In the 81st minute, Chase-Charles bagged his second goal of the game, though, when he tapped into an empty net after a goalbound effort was stopped by the "El Do" goalkeeper.

For San Juan, it's yet another trip to the final, and they will be eager to regain their stranglehold on the East zone Intercol trophy after finishing runners-up to Trinity and Arima in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

In the 2022 East zone Intercol final, San Juan were undone by a lone item from former national youth attacker Jaheim Faustin in a slender 1-0 loss.

From 5.30 pm at the Velodrome venue on November 20, coach Jerry Moe and his Bourg team will try to defy the boys from Trinity East.