Vere keep pace with zone leaders following JWPL win
Published:Sunday | January 29, 2023 | 2:13 AMLennox Aldred - Gleaner Writer
VERE UNITED kept pace with zone leaders Cavalier following a 3-2 win over Springers United at the Wembley Centre of Excellence, as the curtain came down on the cross-zone fixtures in the Jamaica Women’s Premier League (JWPL) yesterday.
Vere secured their fifth win of the campaign to move to 15 points in Zone ‘B’, three points behind leaders Cavalier, who hammered Baptiste Alliance 11-0.
The Dwight Smith-coached Vere team looked comfortable on home turf and dominated the first period, securing the opening goal in the 18th minute through Tashika Hamilton’s well-taken free kick from 25 yards out.
They would double that lead in the 37th minute when centre-back Seanoya Taylor found herself in the opponent’s box and calmly tucked a right-sided cross past goalkeeper Samoy Jackson.
It would be more of the same from the home team in the early part of the second stanza, as Daihla Whyte fired a thunderbolt from some 20 yards past Jackson in the 48th minute.
ENTERPRISING PLAY
The three-goal cushion saw the Vere team taking their foot off the gas, and that allowed Springers to claw their way back into the contest, thanks to some enterprising play from the pair of Dannique Wilson and Fredricka Finnikin.
Wilson first set up Finnikin to pull a goal back in the 63rd minute, after which the roles were reversed, with Wilson finishing off a neat play to leave the game in the balance at 3-2.
The shell-shocked Vere defence dug deep to repel further attacks, and in the end, they held on for the three points which was pleasing for Smith.
“The physical fitness of the players continues to haunt us and it’s almost like we are a first-half team. We need to work on our conditioning and finish the games as well as we start and we should be fine,” said Smith.
Springers assistant coach Owen Barrett, who deputised for coach Bradley Stewart, was pleased his team put up a fight, despite going three goals down.
“It was a rough game for our girls due to the travelling time, but we fought our way back into the game and I thought we should have at least got a point against this very good Vere team.”
Meanwhile, in other cross-zone fixtures, title favourites Frazsiers Whip hammered Real MoBay 13-1 while Olympic Gardens got by Mile Gully 4-1.