… Soesdyke edge Kuru Kururu

THREE players netted a double each as 13 goals were scored on day two of the STAG/EBFA Senior League which continued on Sunday at the Grove Playfield.Agricola Red Triangle, behind a brace each from captain Winston Rawlins and Devon Jeffers as well as two own goals, hammered Diamond United 8-0 in the feature match of a double-header to surge to the top of the points table on goal difference ahead of defending champions Grove Hi Tech and Soesdyke Falcons.
On a mission to win the championship this time around, Agricola wasted little time in taking command of the game. By the end of the first half they were already 3-0 up. Devon Jeffers opened their account in the 11th minute as Diamond took some time to get into their stride.
Agricola were awarded a penalty in the 32nd minute which was scored by Jermaine Frank. Custodian Nathanial Paul could not stop the shot. Seven minutes later, Diamond scored against themselves (Reun Williams), the first of two such goals which handed Agricola a comfortable 3-0 advantage by the end of the half.
With their tails up, Agricola wasted little time in further consolidating their hold on the game. Two minutes into the half Jeffers completed his double to cap a fine game as he was replaced by Raphael Bollers later in the half.
Collis Samuels made it 5-0 in the 60th minute for Agricola and one minute later, captain Winston Rawlins netted the first of his two as Agricola continued to run riot in the Diamond defence.
Trying to clear the ball from another of Agricola’s raids, a defender drilled his spinning shot into the back of the net past the hapless goalkeeper Paul in the 85th minute which took the score to 7-0.
Captain Rawlins sealed the game at 8-0 for Agricola with his second goal in the 87th minute – a win which gave Agricola pole position at the top of the points table.
Sunday’s opening game produced some exciting football between two sides with a long history of rivalry.
Kuru Kururu Warriors, the first EBFA side to be competing in the National Beach Soccer League, took the lead against Soesdyke with a well-taken shot by Ryan Scott who staved off a defender to see his shot glide across custodian John Stell into the back of the net.
But that lead was short-lived as the experienced Soesdyke side, boosted with a number of Timehri players (their club no longer exists), clawed their way back to level the score at 1-1. Colin McLean breached the Warriors’ defence and goalkeeper Joseph Walker, Kuru Kururu’s most prolific scorer Cordel Johnson restored his side’s advantage in the 24th minute. But again they were kept in check by the Soesdyke side who were awarded a penalty in the 41st minute and it was clinically put away by the experienced Marvin Joseph in the 41st minute – the first of his two goals.
Both sides kept the pressure on each other as there was great urgency to get the go-ahead goal. The momentum was now with Soesdyke and the players made it count for them as Joseph hammered in the winner in the 62nd minute.
Matches will continue on Sunday at the same venue.