By Travis Seymour
December 20, 2024
Guyana’s Chase Academy and Trinidad’s St. Benedict College are set to face off for the prestigious KFC International Goodwill Secondary Schools Football title after securing victories in their semifinal matches on Friday at the Ministry of Education ground.
In the first semifinal, St. Benedict College triumphed over Annai Secondary with a 3-1 victory.
St. Benedict’s Jelani Scott opened the scoring early with goals in the 8th and 20th minutes.
Annai Secondary responded with a goal from Guy Moses in the 44th minute, giving them hope.
However, Derrel Garcia sealed the win for St. Benedict with a late strike in the second half, sending them to the finals on Sunday.
The second semifinal was a thrilling contest between defending champions Clarendon College and last year’s runners-up, Chase Academy.
Clarendon College, unbeaten since their 2023 campaign in Guyana, opened the scoring early in the 6th minute.
However, Chase Academy quickly responded with goals from Neeiaz Baksh (23rd minute) and Bryan Wharton (25th minute), taking a 2-1 lead.
Clarendon’s star player, Nicholy Forbes, who is the tournament’s top scorer, leveled the scores at 2-2 in the 49th minute.
But Chase Academy’s prolific striker, Omar Sam, took over the game with a hat-trick, scoring in the 47th, 61st, and 67th minutes, giving his team a 5-2 advantage.
Clarendon College fought back with goals from Chevon Richardson (71st minute) and Joshua Thom (90th minute), but it was not enough as Chase Academy held firm defensively to secure a 5-4 win and their spot in the final.
The final will take place on Sunday at the CARFESTA Avenue ground, where the winning school will receive one million dollars, with the second-place team earning $600,000 and the third-place team receiving $400,000, along with trophies and medals.
The match promises to be an exciting contest as both teams vie for the coveted title.