Cavalier open Caribbean Cup with Mt Pleasant beating

CAVALIER OPENED their Concacaf Caribbean Cup campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over local rivals Mount Pleasant at Sabina Park yesterday, to jump into the early lead in Group A.

Christopher Ainsworth fired the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champions into the lead from the penalty spot after nine minutes while Shaquille Stein added a second in the 25th.

Cavalier coach Rudolph Speid said the victory stemmed from a solid defensive display on the day.

“We did not know what Mount Pleasant was going to do. We decided we were going to be tough on defence. The defence, including the goalkeeper, stood out.

“It is not easy to keep a clean sheet against those players from Mount Pleasant as they can turn a game on its head. So our concentration was spot on from minute one, “ he said.

“Although we defended stoutly, we were positive all the time. We attacked when the occasion arised. We didn’t hesitate and we could have scored two more.”

The game got off to a brisk start with Mount Pleasant looking to dictate the tempo. Jalmaro Calvin got the first real chance when he got between defenders to win a loose ball but fired a weak shot.

Jean Ferreira, who was pulling the strings in midfield, then released Sue Lae McCalla but his volley was blocked. The Brazilian then had a rasping shot that Jeadine White pushed for a corner.

Calvin had the best chance minutes later but could not connect cleanly with Christopher Ainsworth’s excellent cross.

Moments later, Stein got behind the Mount Pleasant defence and was brought down by Jamoi Topey, and Ainsworth slotted home the resulting penalty.

Topey should have made amends on 15 minutes but he placed his header wide of the back post.

While Stein definitely should have made it 2-0 after robbing Topey of possession but Ricardo Chambers in goal was equal to the task.

However, Stein would get his goal in the 25th minute when he nodded a precise cross from Calvin past a stranded Shaquan Davis.

Both teams, especially Cavalier, continued to create good openings before the break but neither was able to add to the scoreline.

After the interval Cavalier sat deep, with Mount Pleasant doing all they could to try and break down a well-organised defence. But Cavalier were impenetrable, while always looking dangerous on the counter.

Losing coach Harold Thomas said it was a difficult first loss.

“In any tournament it is difficult to lose your first game but it is not impossible to come back. We know the fault of the players. There are some things we have to change.

“The quality of the players is there but motivation will be a great factor. What we saw today was a team that wasn’t as hungry as it should have been,” he said.