Cavalier put one foot in JWPL KO final with 21-0 drubbing
Published:Monday | April 10, 2023 | 12:10 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
THE EVERDEAN Scarlett-coached Cavalier banged in 21 goals in the first leg of their Jamaica Women’s Premier League (JWPL) knockout semi-final tie against Rangers FC at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence on Saturday.
Rangers, who started the game with 10 players on account of injuries, were put to the sword as early as the 20th minute when Keresha Thomas opened Cavalier’s account, sparking the ensuing goal fest.
Thomas would follow up with strikes in the 24th, 37th and 40th minutes, but was matched by Rena Gordon, whose onslaught came in the 22nd, 29th, 31st, 33rd, and 43rd minutes of play. Sheyenne Bonnick’s first-half strike in the 26th minute would help send the Cavalier unit into the halftime break with an insurmountable 10-0 lead.
In the second half, it was back to regular programming as Cavalier enjoyed another 45 minutes of their own with Gordon’s sixth of the affair in the 53rd minute. Ashanti Lewis would score a double in the 55th and 57th, while Bonnick roared into life with strikes in the 61st, 73rd, 74th and 75th.
Second-half substitute Ramona Wallace also chipped in, notching a 79th-minute goal.
FINAL GOAL
Kadian Edwards’ 83rd-minute strike was followed up by goalkeeper Danielle Flake’s penalty in the 88th minute. The hard-working Shanhane Nelson, who wore the number 21 jersey, ironically scored Cavalier’s 21st and final goal.
Scarlett said the performance was in accordance with his pregame message to stamp their class on their opponents.
“We wanted to stamp our class from the first leg, and we did come out and gave a good account of ourselves. For the second leg, we will definitely show up to play again and we are going to score more goals. It will be a matter of how many. We want to be looking sharp going into the final, and we want to use these games as practice,” said Scarlett.
Loxley Henry, coach of the Rangers unit, said his team suffered due to the plethora of injuries they had to cope with.
“I was looking for this result, but we lost a lot of players due to injuries and the ongoing flu, hence we had to show up with a weakened team. The girls, however, didn’t play with the discipline and commitment that they should have,” said Henry.