IT was a battle of giants when the Bingo Spartans met Saints in their first-round clash on Saturday afternoon at Saints ground.

Both teams entered the game boasting winning records and the outcome would determine the winners of the first round and the favourites to take the trophy at the end of the second.

The Spartans looked as though they would dominate the match from their third-minute goal by prolific striker Abosaide Cadogan but it was Saints who came ever so close on two occasions in the first half. Goal-line saves by Madison Fernandes and Makeda Harding, however, managed to keep Saints scoreless and give the Spartans a 1-nil lead at halftime.
The Spartans continued to enjoy the majority of possession in midfield in the second half and were a more productive side in their forward line than they were in the first half. Midfielder Sarah Klautky scored for Spartans with a powerful shot in the first minute of resumption to nudge the Spartans into the lead, 2-0.

While Saints managed a breakaway goal eleven minutes later through Kizia Chinian, the game seemed to be resting in the hands of the Spartans, who seemed increasingly dangerous with every attack.

Klautky scored a second for the Spartans in the 33rd minute and teammate Kirsten Gomes added a double in the closing minutes to give the Bingo Spartans a comfortable 5-1 victory.
St Joseph versus GCC Her-ricanes was the other girls’ match of the afternoon and was a war of attrition with both teams seeking their first points of the competition.

With the game being played mostly at mid-pitch, both sides struggled to put together any meaningful attacks, leading to a scoreless first half. While the second half saw a bit more excitement at the goal ends, it was not until six minutes from full time that St Joseph earned a penalty corner that was converted through the powerful Janelle Frederick. Frederick’s strike was the lone goal of the match giving St Joseph a 1-0 victory.

The Bingo Spartans emerged at the top of the pool at the end of the first round with 9 points followed by Saints with 6, St Joseph 3 and the GCC Her-ricanes scoreless.
Matches continue every weekend at Saints ground until May 20.