Soca Warriors cool Vincy Heat

Vincy Heat was expected to rebound last evening at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium in Marbella, South Trinidad, against Haiti, in their second match of Group F of the Digicel Caribbean Football Cup.{{more}}

On Tuesday, a feisty Vincy Heat, after holding the host Trinidad and Tobago to a 2-2 tie at the end of the first half, faltered in the second period, to give up four unanswered goals, and lost 6-2.

The Vincentians twice equalized after falling behind to the Trinidadians.

First it was Shandel Samuel, who according to reports, capitalised on a mix-up between keeper Jan Michael Williams and his defender Kern Cupid. The keeper got caught in no man’s land and Samuel kept his composure to strike the ball past him into the unguarded net in the 21st minute.

Cornelius Stewart also drew the scores level on 45 minutes when he made good of a defence error and drove the ball to the back of the net from about twenty yards out.

Samuel and Stewart’s efforts were after Devon Jorsling had netted in the 2nd and 35th minutes for the Trinidadians.

But the second half was totally lopsided in the goals column. Substitute Kerry Baptiste scored the first goal of his brace in the 57 minute. Jorsling completed his hat trick in the 59th minute, and Baptiste was again on the score sheet in the 67th minute.

Another second half substitute, Hughton Hector, completed the rout with an injury time strike.

Assistant Coach of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines outfit, Earl Paynter, speaking from Trinidad and Tobago last Wednesday morning, told SEARCHLIGHT : “We just lost it in the second half. We had difficulty in putting passes together, and our midfield did not live up to their responsibilities.”

“Things were going good for us in the first half, but when the going got tough, we just lost our concentration. When we lost the ball, we did not have that extra concentration needed,” Paynter recalled.

He said that in his estimation, only two of the Trinidad and Tobago’s goals came from good plays, with the others coming from lapses in the Vincentians’ defence.

Paynter said that in Tuesday’s game, Captain Wesley Charles had an excellent game. He said he thought that the Trinidad and Tobago defence had little answer for the speedy trio of Stewart and the two Samuels: Shandel and Myron.

Looking ahead at last evening’s match against Haiti, Paynter was optimistic, stating that it was not beyond his charges’ abilities, once they can defend the ball and carry out their duties manfully.

“We are still in the game. Once we win the other two matches, we can still be on the plane to Martinique,” Paynter projected.

Also on Tuesday evening, Haiti and Guyana played to a goalless draw.

Apart from the St. Vincent and the Grenadines versus Haiti match, set for last evening, host Trinidad and Tobago was scheduled to meet Guyana in the second of the double header.

The Group concludes tomorrow, Saturday, with St. Vincent and the Grenadines meeting Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago facing Haiti.

The two top teams head to Martinique later this month for the Finals. Already through are Guadeloupe, Grenada, Jamaica and Martinique.

To complete the finalists will be the two top teams from Group G, which includes Cuba, Dominica, Suriname and host Antigua and Barbuda, from November 10-14. (RT)