Mount Pleasant outscore Cavalier
Published:Sunday | August 29, 2021 | 12:06 AMLivingston Scott - Gleaner Writer
For the first time this season, Mount Pleasant Football Academy managed to score three goals in a Jamaica Premier League (JPL) game as they defeated Cavalier 3-2 during yesterday’s round of matches at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence.
Goals from Jourdain Fletcher, Kemar Beckford and Daniel Green saw off the challenge of a Cavalier team that was losing for the first time in five matches. Shaneil Thomas (first-half injury time) and Jerome McLeary (four minutes into injury at the end) scored for Cavalier.
However, Downes commented that for the first time this season, his team produced the goals to complement the team’s performance.
“We played really well and we were really unfortunate not to be 3-0 up at one stage (first half). I thought giving them a goal at the end of the first half was a lack of concentration. The same thing in the 90th minute on the second goal.
“I have been happy with our form. We have been consistent but the defence has done really well for us, as we haven’t scored enough goals. But today we got the goals that our play has been worthy of this season,” he said.
“I definitely hope we can continue (goalscoring form). Hopefully, the next game we play, we will score many goals again,” he added.
NO CHANCE
Mount Pleasant started brightly and 16 minutes into the game, Fletcher’s curling shot from outside the box gave Jeadine White no chance. Kemar Beckford then added a second in the 31st minute when he latched on to a pass and fired past national goalkeeper White.
However, Cavalier got a goal back just before half-time when Thomas outjumped the Humble Lion defence to head past Dennis Taylor in goal.
After the break, Cavalier tried desperately to get the equaliser but were off their game and struggled to create openings, and in the 86th minute Daniel Green made the points safe for Mount Pleasant when he broke free and slotted past White.
In time added, Cavalier pulled another goal back through McLeary, but Mount Pleasant held out for the win.
Cavalier sporting director, Rudolph Speid, said his team got off to a bad start and they never recovered.
“This is the worst start we have had (this season). I am not sure what was happening but we were just turning over the ball and Mount Pleasant kept pressing us. We got two goals but we had to go into survival mode from the first half.
“We made some changes and got back one goal but in the first half we were trying to press and they got another. But it was a terrible game for us. We were not up to it. We should have done better defensively, as we have the second best defence in the league and to have three goals scored against us is almost unheard of, so we will need to look back at what happened,” he insisted.
On Saturday, Vere United play Tivoli Gardens at noon before Waterhouse take on Arnett Gardens in the second game at 2:30 p.m. at the same venue.