Unbeaten Army drop first points of the TTPFL season

TRINIDAD and Tobago Premier Football League (TTPFL) table-toppers Defence Force (43 points) dropped their first points of the season on April 11 when they were held to a 2-2 draw by the eighth-placed Terminix La Horquetta Rangers (15 points) at Arima Velodrome.

After 14 straight wins, including a 10-0 demolition of Eagles FC which came in their last fixture on April 5, the Densill Theobald-coached Defence Force team met their match in a plucky Rangers team that battled to get a hard-fought point after going two goals down in the first 25 minutes.

Just 51 seconds were on the clock when Rangers showed they meant business in the encounter, as their skipper Isaiah Lee forced goalkeeper Jabari St Hillaire into a sharp save with a right-footed drive from outside the area. It wouldn’t be the last St Hillaire saw of a bustling Lee either.

Despite Lee’s early warning shot, Rangers fell behind in the fourth minute when Defence Force captain and playmaker Kevin Molino converted from the spot after right back Akido Weeks was adjudged to have handled in the area. It was Molino’s 11th goal of the campaign.

In the 24th minute, Rangers dug themselves into a hole as the lanky Brent Sam pounced on a mistake at the back to fire a powerful left-footed shot past custodian Thane Devenish to give Defence Force a 2-0 lead.

With the Army/Coast Guard combination smelling blood, they came close to extending their lead just before the half-hour mark as Isaiah Garcia headed a Joshua Araujo-Wilson corner off the bar.

In the 36th minute, Rangers got the lifeline they needed as Lee pounced on a loose touch at the back by St Hillaire to slide into an empty net. And before the league leaders could regroup, Rangers equalised in the 39th minute when Ricardo Williams sent a downward header past St Hillaire at the end of a lovely solo run and cross from flanker Shakir Jones.

Theobald reacted promptly at the half, as the league’s top scorer Isaiah Leacock and Soca Warriors winger Reon Moore were introduced. In the 58th minute, Leacock found another substitute, Darius Ollivierra, but the latter’s close-range shot was well-saved by Devenish. The diminutive goalie made another save five minutes later as he awkwardly kept out a low free kick from Moore.

It was difficult for Defence Force to create clear-cut chances in the dying stages as Rangers stayed resolute in their low block. On a rare counter-attack in the 74th minute, Rangers missed the opportunity to grab the lead when Kesean St Rose fired over bar from a tight angle.

In the third minute of stoppage time, Defence Force had their chance to seal the three points, but Molino shot wildly over the goal with a left-footed effort after being found in a packed penalty area by Ollivierra.

Defence Force's lead was cut to 12 points as the second-placed MIC Central FC Reboot (31 points) were awarded a 3-0 victory in the first match of the double-header as defending champs AC Port of Spain failed to show up because of unpaid March salaries.

TTFPL tier one standings:

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

Defence Force FC*15*14*1*0*60*15*45*43

Central FC*15*10*1*4*40*26*14*31

Jabloteh*14*8*3*3*34*22*12*27

AC PoS*15*7*5*3*29*18*11*26

Police FC*14*7*2*5*39*26*13*23

Caledonia*14*6*3*5*24*28*-4*21

Club Sando*14*5*4*5*21*16*5*19

La Horquetta Rangers*15*3*6*6*25*28*-3*15

1976 FC Phoenix*14*3*4*7*19*29*-10*13

Prisons FC*14*3*3*8*18*26*-8*12

Point Fortin Civic*14*2*1*11*13*36*-23*7

Eagles FC*14*1*1*12*10*62*-52*4