Westtel first round playoffs

(CNS): Since the inception of the WestTel Five-A-Side Football League the opening round of the playoffs have been more of a formality, however this season the teams took to the pitch with thunderous enthusiasm, a release from King’s Sports Centre said. The week started off with an unfortunate forfeit by Ocean Frontiers, giving the Brickhouse Devils a free pass to the 2nd round; and the opening round started to look like those of seasons past. However the Gold Conference teams came to life and in the 2nd match-up of the night, underdog BDO-Tortuga pulled off the upset of the first round, coming from 10th place to defeat #7 Old Man United 2-1.

BDO-Tortuga goal scorers included Andy Bellfied and Paul Pearman with a goal apiece. Jon Pump scored the lone goal for Old Man United. The 3rd gameof the evening proved to be equally exciting as Gold Conference ESSO defeated a strong Maples and Calder squad from the XGen Conference 3-1. Trent Christie, Chris Thorburn and William Fenton each scored a goal for ESSO in the victory, while Desmond Harris scored Maples and Calder’s single goal

Tuesday night saw the WestTel Division 1 teams make their appearance, with both #1 seeds, RCC Strikers and Burger King, exerting their dominance over Dart and UBS respectively. Atlantic Star, from the XGen Conference came up big against the Transformers in a very physical and competitive game. Kris Maguire earned the player of the game with his 2 goals for Atlantic Star with Alan Glasgow scoring the team’s third goal. Dominique Pearson, the Transformers leading scorer, put up the team’s only point of the match. Atlantic Star will go on to face Burger King in the semi-finals. The matchup will feature Rene Carter and Ben Marler going head-to-head yet again. The two players were part of last season’s leading scorers race with Marler coming away with the title. This season may prove to be a bigger challenge for Marler, as his Atlantic Star squad takes the floor against the perfect 13-0 Burger King powerhouse team.

Wednesday night’s feature presentation and the final D1 matchup saw #2 PWC and #3 Coconut Joes give the spectators an amazing show. PWC, from Gold Conference scored early in the match, and lead the match for most of regulation, but in the final minute of the game, Chris Ordolis of Coconut Joes scored to equalize the game and send it into overtime.

With less than a minute left of extra time, and on the brink of going to penalty kicks, Joes again pulled off the clutch goal, with Ian Kenyon scoring to win the match. Coconut Joes will continue to fight the uphill battle, as they move onto the semi-finals against fellow XGen Conference rival #1 RCC Strikers. The two teams met early in the season, with the Strikers proving to be the dominant squad.
The Division 2 teamsalso wrapped up their opening round games on Wednesday night. McAlpine United convincingly defeated the KPMG Blue Rays in the 2nd game of the night.

eanwhile, the third match featured Marriott Int. F.C. taking down C.I. Law School 2-Nil with Lee Parry and Jose Quintero each scoring in the victory. In the final game of the week, the KPMG Cat-5 Hurricanes and Old Boys put on a defensive showdown with the Hurricanes taking the match 2-1. KPMG goal scorers included Given Chanetsa-Mazarura and David Fernandes with a goal apiece. Bryan Hydes scored the lone goal for Old Boys.

All in all, if the teams keep up the intensity of the opening round, next week’s second round games are sure to offer fans some incredible Five-A-Side Action! Paramount All-Stars and HSBC, who earned a bye through the first round of the Division 2 playoffs, will take to the pitch for the first time this playoff season, and both Division 1 match-ups are sure to be very entertaining. On behalf of the WestTel Five-A-Side Football League, good luck to all of our competitors.

Fans are encouraged to come out and support the local athletes throughout the playoff tournament. The full WestTel Five-A-Side playoff breakdown, along with all other King’s Sports Centre sports program info is available at www.csa.ky. For all other inquiries, please contact Ray at ray_singh@candw.ky.

Second Round Playoffs
Monday, April 6th
7:00 pm RCC Strikers v. Coconut Joes
8:00 pm Atlantic Star v. Burger King
9:00 pm Paramount All-Stars v. KPMG Cat-5 Hurricanes
Wednesday, April 8th
7:00 pm HSBC v. ESSO
8:00 pm Brickhouse Devils v. Marriott Int. F.C.
9:00 pm BDO-Tortuga v. McAlpine United