By LeVaughn Flynn, Staff ReporterST. JAGO High joined Bridgeport High in the second round of the Pepsi/Sports Plus Manning Cup following a 4-0 drubbing of Greater Portmore at Ferdie Neita Park yesterday.
By virtue of the win, the Monk Street boys now have a perfect record on 21 points from seven consecutive wins, with 29 goals for and none against.
The scorers for St. Jago were Howard Williams (11th), Carlos Thomas (78th and 86th) and Mark Miller (84th). Peter Keyes of Vauxhall High made the first goal and scored the second as Vauxhall came from behind to clip Kingston College 2-1 at Vauxhall yesterday.
Scores of Windward Road residents surrounded the field to see Vauxhall come from a halftime 1-0 deficit and outplay their opponents despite finishing the game with ten men as their captain, Carrar Taylor, was sent off because of violent conduct.
Kingston College's Nicholas Lynch had given his school the lead in the 25th minute.
Inspired by their coach's half-time pep talk, Vauxhall started the second half with better football instincts. Keyes displayed that, and great individual skill, after making a spectacular run down the right wing for a cross that found the boot of substitute Alvin Edwards for the equaliser in the 65th minute.
With increased ball awareness after the first goal, Keyes decided to go all the way netting the deciding goal in the 77th minute.
Vauxhall's coach Karl Russell said he always knew his team would win despite conceding a goal in the first half because of his team's resilient character.
"It was a gutsy performance today. I'm surely pleased with them. In order to make it to the next round we had to beat KC. We lost 6-0 to St. Jago over the weekend and I had a good talk with the boys and told them how serious we are and how desperately we want to make it to the second round. So it is a good victory," he said.
KC's Stratton Palmer blamed defeat on a lack of concentration.
"We have been trying to work on the defensive unit and we saw where they folded under pressure, giving away the ball two times in the area. Simple balls, which they should have effectively cleared," an unhappy Palmer said after the game.
