Bandits top Sagitun in Regent Cup Playoffs
Good evening I’m James Adderley and up jumps another serving of Sports Monday. With maximum co-operation from Raymond Waters, the Regent Insurance Cup Playoffs finally took off over the weekend. Saturday night at the Michael Ashcroft Stadium the number two seed faced the number three seed as defending champion Sagitun hosted the Builder’s Hardware Bandits of Belmopan.
Today the Bandits come out in the role of protagonist and are pressing the issue at the sixth minute of play when sloppy Sagitun defence gives Dennis Serrano this open look at goal from point-blank range, but he misfires, and indeed Mark Leslie also had the chance to move the scoreboard.
We’re only nine minutes in when Oliver Hendricks mounts this individual effort in a splendid display of touch control to give the Capital City gang a 1-zip lead.
Sagitun tries to answer off this spotkick floated by Julio Valle to Francis “Cacass” Arzu who misplays the thrust on goal.
For sure, the battle for big W is bitter as demonstrated by Arzu and Kenneth Budna–and maybe Arzu deserves a yellow card right here.
Meanwhile, we will say Mark “Kello” Leslie really bungles this open look at goal for Belmopan.
Folks, it’s forty-four minutes in when Leslie beats Hilberto Muschamp with this hard pass to Dennis Serrano, who makes the connection and at the half Belmopan boats a 2-zip lead.
In second half play, the bandits get the first real scoring opportunity, but Geovanny Rodriguez intervenes for Sagitun.
Sagitun gets its first chance to score when Cacass Arzu brings down this Marcos Soto pass to push the pill into the net–Charlie Slusher’s save attempt hands the ball to David Torres who promptly applies for a job in the aerospace industry.
In the meantime, Millie Johnson said frustration ain’t no fun and it shows on Julio Valle’s reaction to the referee’s call. Of course more recently Ludacris commanded, “When I move you move”–just like that Julio Valle is ejected.
Meanwhile folks, both teams are already down to ten men apiece when Robert Cunningham snaps this wicked elbow over Denmark Casey’s eye to further aggravate an already tense situation.
Nevertheless, Sagitun is still trying to get on the scoreboard and Rudolph Flowers just misses the target with his back to the goal. Builder’s Hardware Bandits hold on to the 2-zip big W for three big opening points in the Regent’s Insurance Cup playoffs.
Charlie Slusher, Captain, Builder’s Hardware Bandits
“We’ve been losing to this team the whole season and I’m grateful the way our team came out tonight and played as a family. Everybody did their part and even extra. Thank goodness that we won this game tonight.”
Patrick Jones
“What did you do strategy-wise that is different for this first game of the playoffs?”
Charlie Slusher
“Well we made a lot of changes, we found out some of the things that we were doing bad that was making us lose three goals and giving up a lot of goals. And tonight just shows that if you watch your team and you make the necessary adjustments…because this is the playoffs and the regular season is to let you know what your team’s strengths and weaknesses are and it’s good that we found it out in time to make the adjustment coming into the playoffs.”
Patrick Jones
“How important was it for Bandits to win this first game?
Charlie Slusher
“Psychologically it’s very important, especially against the team that we haven’t beaten in a while. This is the champion and we became sub-champion because of this team. It’s very encouraging to win your first game going into the playoffs.”
Patrick Jones
“The Sagitun that appeared on the field here at Michael Ashcroft tonight is not the Sagitun that we’re used to seeing. What happened?”
Roberto Muschamp, Sagitun
“I just think at the beginning of the game we got desperate. That was our main problem. Everybody was just going ahead. We’re not used to playing that kind of ball, we’re supposed to come and touch the ball the way Sagitun used to play ball. I think I was a factor against us, I can’t really kick with my right foot, which is my main foot and I think that posed a problem because I can’t really move and control and receive the ball how I’m used to, how I’m supposed to. Even our attacking midfielders, I watch players jogging to the ball when we’re supposed to try and go and control this ball, let them come at us. We’re supposed to get this ball and do our thing, penetrate and all those kinds of things, but we weren’t doing that tonight. That was what affect us; we played too soft. This is playoffs football, we have to go and left everything on the field of play, and if you go out and play as if though you’re playing against your sister, it is best you just stay in the locker room and don’t even come out on the field.”
In the other playoff match up staged at the People’s Stadium yesterday, Kulture Yabra of Belize City beat O.W.’s Juventus 3-2 in overtime to open the playoffs with two points. Next week Yabra will host Sagitun, and Juventus travels to Belmopan.
That’s it for now, we invite you back same time, same place, next week. Jah over all! I’m James Adderley.
