Win gives Cavalier early lead

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

Cavalier climbed their way to the top of the four-team Digicel Premier League (DPL) play-off standings, after eking out a hard-fought 1-0 win over Rivoli yesterday at the Spanish Town Prison Oval.

The game's lone goal came in bizarre fashion in first-half stoppage time, when Rivoli's Brandon Bennett scored in his own net.

After Sunday's pair of one-all draws in both opening round matches of the elimination series, yesterday's victory lifted Cavalier to four points, two ahead of Seba United and Eastern Confed champions Highgate, who battled to a 1-1 finish at Jarrett Park last night.

Carlos Barrett fired the visitors into a fourth-minute lead and his team maintained the advantage until the 79th minute, when long-time Seba striker Iton Scott relieved the tension over the MoBay crowd with a game-tying goal.

In the earlier game in the nation's Old Capital, Rivoli, who dominated, managed their first effort in the 15th minute when Luke Soares controlled a pass from his teammate, Derrick Planter, on the edge of the area, before unleashing a screamer, which sailed over the crossbar.

The Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Super League champions' first effort did not come until the 36th minute when their captain, Donovan Alvaranga, got off a 35-yard effort, which drifted wide of the upright.

The decisive moment in the game came in the second minute of first-half stoppage time when Bennett, in an effort to help out his teammate, Fidel Anderson, who had miscued his attempted clearance, also got his kick wrong. The ball flew off his feet and despite his keeper having a clear view of the ball he was unable to make the save, as the ball dipped under his crossbar.

Calvert Fitzgerald, coach of Rivoli, was very disappointed with the manner in which the goal was conceded.

"To end up losing by an own goal; an unpressured kick by our defender straight in the back of our net is disappointing, but we performed much better than we performed against Highgate," said Fitzgerald, whose team is now bottom of the standings with one point.

defensive

Cavalier emerged for the second half in a defensive frame of mind, as they looked to launch their attacks on the counter. This resulted in the Western Conference champions taking full control of the midfield. They were then able to launch one attack after another, but the closest they came to an equaliser was in the 74th minute, when David Lewis' speculative 35-yard effort came back off the left upright.

Cavalier's player/coach David Laylor was very pleased with the result and had praises for his team.

"This result is favourable for us and we are well pleased about it," Laylor said. "It was a good game and it was a hard game, but Cavalier stuck to the task and we were more focused this week than last week and we came out on top," he added.