Kingston College booked their spot in the semi-finals of the ISSA Champions Cup all-island knockout tournament, after they came from behind to edge Dinthill Technical in an entertaining quarterfinal encounter at the National Stadium on Tuesday. 
 
Captain Robert Seow led from the front with two penalty conversion in the 31st and 45+4 minutes, while Jaheim McLean (44th) got the other.  Tyrese Gowe (1st) and Giovanni Afflick (68th), got the goals for Dinthill.
 
Kingston College will be joined by Glenmuir High and Hydel High, who registered 1-0 and 4-2 victories over Mona High and Garvey Maceo in their games at St Elizabeth Technical Sports Complex and Manchester High, respectively. St George’s College and reigning daCosta Cup champions Clarendon College were set to decide the other semi-final spot in the late fixture at the National Stadium. 
 
In the curtain-raiser, Dinthill required only 30 seconds to break the deadlock as Gowe picked up a pass at the edge of the arc and rifled a right-footer past Malique Williams in goal for Kingston College.
 
The St Catherine-based team continued to dominate proceedings for the most part and forced Kingston College into a defensive posture, almost as if backing a prey into a corner.
However, they failed to make the kill strike and eventually let momentum slip after Richard Ewart handled the ball inside the danger area on Demario Dailey's effort. Seow stepped up and buried the 12-yard kick.
 
Kingston College doubled the lead 13 minutes later when McLean expertly headed home from a weighted Damaine Smith cross.
 
And before Dinthill Technical could catch their breaths, they were again hit by Seow from the penalty spot after Deshawn Byfield was taken out by goalkeeper Asher Hutchinson in a one-on-one situation.
 
With a healthy 3-1 lead at the break, the expectations may have been that Kingston College were going to sit back after the interval. Instead, the North Street-based team went on the search for more and like a pack of hungry wolves, camped out in Dinthill's quarters early on the resumption, and had numerous opportunities to extend the lead, but poor decision-making and faulty shooting saw their hunt being fruitless.
 
They later paid for their wastefulness when Afflick applied a delightful finish to Shamair Hutchinson's pass at the near post. From there, the teams nullified each other with Kingston College, in particular, being more resolute to see off the contest.
 
Winning coach Vassell Reynolds lauded his team's fighting spirit after going down.
 
"I think it was an even game; we were shocked by the 30 second goal, but we had time to come back, and we did so at the right time before the break. We could have killed off the game earlier, but nevertheless, they showed the fighting spirit that we wanted, and we are pleased with the win," Reynolds said in a post-match interview.
 
His counterpart, O'Neil Thomas also praised his team's effort despite the loss.
 
"We scored early but indiscipline crept in, and we conceded two penalties. But the boys did their best and we just have to go back fix what we need to and come again because our main focus is the daCosta Cup semi-finals," Thomas noted.
 
Results
Mona 0, Glenmuir 1
Garvey Maceo 2, Hyde High 4
Kingston College 3, Dinthill 2

Reigning champions Jamaica College revived their chances of a successful title defence, while Kingston College made a big statement, as both registered victories in their respective ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup quarterfinal encounters at Stadium East field on Tuesday.

Davion Ferguson’s Jamaica College, who lost their first contest to Hydel High, returned to winning ways with a 2-1 win over reigning Walker Cup champions Tivoli High in Group Two.

Elsewhere in the group, many-time champions St George’s College came from behind to secure a 1-1 stalemate with Hydel at the Ashenheim Stadium.

With those results, St George’s College remain atop the group on four points, same as Hydel but with a slightly better goal difference. Jamaica College occupies third position on three points, with Tivoli Gardens now out of contention for a semi-final berth.

In Group Two, Jaheim McLean’s all-important goal lifted Kingston College to a 1-0 win over perennial rivals St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) in a clash which was a repeat of last year’s semi-finals.

It was another lively clash between the two that could have gone either way, but Mclean’s 18th-minute strike proved the difference, as Mona High and St Catherine high played out a 1-1 stalemate in the other group fixture.

The win saw the North Street-based Kingston College to the summit of the group on four points, one ahead of STATHS, while Mona (two points) and St Catherine (one point), remain in contention heading into Friday’s final round of games.

In the feature contest at Stadium East, Kingston College fired the first warning shot through Demario Dailey, who attempted an acrobatic finish that just went wide of the target.

STATHS settled into their rhythm and controlled the tempo of the game from there on, as they created a few half chances of their own which they failed to make count.

The Bumper Hall-based team was caught napping when a quickly taken freekick found McLean open and the player sporting the number 10 jersey had a decent first touch and an even better finish to send the North Street fans into a frenzy.

Though Kingston College led the contest, STATHS looked the more dominant outfit and the Phillip Williams-coached team almost pulled level on the stroke of halftime. A delightful strike from Alexavier Gooden from about 40 yards out rattled the underside of the crossbar and bounced on the goal line.

STATHS maintained the momentum on the resumption and should have pulled level three minutes in, but Andre Salmon went for power instead of accuracy from deep inside the 18-yard box. He was left annoyed by his poor decision.

With Kingston College content on sitting back, STATHS again went close in the 70th minute. Taraine Hall found time and space inside the final third for a stinging left-footed effort that was well saved by Malique Williams diving to his left.

The famed purples, much like they did at the start, had the last attack of the game, but Dailey’s effort from a distance came off the upright.

Winning coach Vassell Reynolds praised his young charges for their execution.

“I am very proud. It was a tough game, we knew it was going to come down to the last 20 minutes, so we relied on fitness. I believe we are a lot fitter than we think, so kudos to the boys they have been working very hard and I think it was a masterful performance from them,” Reynolds said in a post-game interview.

His counterpart Williams also felt his team gave a good showing.

“It was a good performance, we turned off one time and we got punished, but apart from that, the guys displayed some good football. This is a setback because it makes the last game (against Mona) a little tougher, but we have to go and do what we have to do,” he noted.

Tuesday’s results

Group One

Mona 1, St Catherine 1

Kingston College 1, STATHS 0

Group Two

Jamaica College 2, Tivoli High 1

St George’s College 1, Hydel High 1

Friday’s fixtures

Group One

STATHS vs Mona

Kingston College vs St Catherine

Group Two

Hydel High vs Tivoli High

Jamaica College vs St George’s College

Last year’s beaten finalists St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) and Kingston College secured an advantage over Kingston Technical and Campion College, as they registered contrasting victories in their respective first leg second round ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup fixtures at Jamaica College on Saturday.

STATHS with a clinical second half display, blanked Kingston Technical 4-0, courtesy of a brace from Richard Livingston (58th and 81st), with Leon Brown (58th) and Alexavier Gooden (88th), getting the others.

Kingston College had things much more difficult and had to come from behind to edge Campion College 3-2 in the feature contest of the double-header.

Tyler Falconer (21st) and Djas Less (25th) gave Campion a handy lead, but Demario Dailey (59th), O’Neil Bryan (83rd) and Robert Seow (90+3), responded for Kingston College.

After playing out a goalless first half in the curtain raiser, STATHS came to life on the resumption and found the go-ahead goal 13 minutes in when Livingston converted from the 12-yard spot, after Brown was felled by goalkeeper Jahiem Orr.

The Bumper Hall-based school continued to press and doubled the lead through Brown, who was on hand to slam home a loose ball from close range, his 14th goal of the season.

With Kingston Technical offering very little resistance, particularly in the latter stages, scoring got easier for STATHS and Livingston helped himself to another, as he skipped a defender and drove home a right-footed effort from just inside the 18-yard box.

Gooden then capped the win with a fine header that gave Orr no chance at a save.

The second contest between Campion College and Kingston College, was expected to be more competitive and lived up to its billing.

Campion took the lead against the run of play when a poor clearance by goalkeeper Malique Williams, went straight to Falconer, who made no mistakes.

Another poor attempt by Williams to gather the ball, allowed Less to tap the ball in at the far post, almost hurting himself in the process when he slammed into the upright.

Though down, Kingston College was not out, and they again found some momentum in the latter stages of the first half, and they maintained it after the break.

The North Street-based team made it count a minute to the hour mark through Dailey, who finished off an Otaivian Halloway pass with aplomb.

With that goal literally knocking the wind from Campion College’s sails, Kingston College went for broke, and Bryan put them back on level terms with a tidy finish from deep inside the 18-yard box.

Seow completed the comeback befitting of their motto “the brave may fall, but never yield,” with an easy tap in at the far post.

Winning coach Vassell Reynolds praised his team for the win.

“It was a tough one, we gave up two soft goals but it’s a part of the game. We asked the guys at half-time to dig in and in the end, fitness spoke, and we got three goals. It is a young and experience team, but we have asked them from the start of the season to always fight in a way that is of a Kingston College spirit, and they did that, so I am very proud of them,” Reynolds said in a post-game interview.

His counterpart Ashton Blankson also lauded his team but felt they were undone by a lack of fitness.

“I thought they got a little tired and the heads dropped, but we fought all the way to the end. We want to go back to playing our game which is the passing game, and we will see what happens (in the second leg) on Wednesday,” Blankson noted.

Saturday’s results

St Catherine 2, Wolmer’s Boys 0

Excelsior 0, Hydel 0

Jamaica College 3, Eltham 0

Mona 3, Jonathan Grant 0

Kingston College 3, Campion College 2

STATHS 4, Kingston Technical 0

St George’s College 2, St Jago 0

Haile Selassie 0, Tivoli High 0

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