Belmopan Bandits clinch berth in finals
Good evening I’m James Adderley and we welcome you to this latest issue of Sports Monday. The Belize Premier Football League playoffs found the two top teams with identical records of three wins, one loss apiece, in bitter combat for the lead in the standings with two matches per team remaining. Both teams go into this match-up after posting wins against the defending champion Kulture Yabra as the Builder’s Hardware Bandits hosts Sagitun of Independence at Belmopan Saturday night.
Sagitun as visitors get the kick-off and they immediately go to this set piece that has more glitter than substance. It takes some time for the teams to settle down and Sagitun seems to find its form first as Julio Valle fires with the left foot.
We’re some half an hour in when Bent Burgess is blocked in front of the goal. The rebound is picked up by Mark Leslie, who sends its back with a toe-pat, and Sagitun takes a 1-zip lead.
Buoyed by the 1-zip lead Sagitun searches for more, but this Bent Burgess header orbits outside the target. At the other end, Edmond “The Buzzard” Pandy fires this spotkick looking for the equalizer; Rodriguez punches it out to David Trapp who misplays. Julio Valle picks it up and he heads to Wilmer Garcia, who commits the foul for the turn over.
Nevertheless, Sagitun continues to press. Deris Benavides finds Wilmer Garcia, but the left foot launch inches outside the stick. In the closing moments of the first half, David Trapp finds the streaking Wilmer Garcia who forces the Sagitun defence to dig the ball out of the net. Peter Mariano does just that and at the half its Sagitun with a 1-nil lead.
So we go to second half and immediately Francis Arzu sets table perfectly for Mark Leslie who allows Charlie Slusher to reject what should have been a sure goal.
Chalk up another near miss for Sagitun when Arzu gets the ball to Bent Burgess, but despite all the excitement, the scoreboard remains unchanged.
We’re some fifteen minutes into the second half when David Trapp finds an unattended Wilmer Garcia who heads home the equalizer to the Bandits.
Right away Sagitun looks to break the tie, but the header by Bent Burgess misses the target. Meanwhile, this nice individual effort from Francis Arzu almost produces the tiebreaker for Sagitun, but Charlie Slusher foils the attempt.
The Bandits come back with this move by David Trapp, but he can’t keep the pill down. Jair Pereira finally gets into the spotlight on this run, but he certainly blows the finish, and after regulation we’re still tied at 1-apiece.
For Sagitun, things take a turn for the worse in overtime play when this move by Bent Burgess gets him his second yellow card and his departure leaves a ten man Sagitun team.
Nevertheless, after one hundred and twenty minutes of play we’re still tied at 1-apiece. So we go to the penalty spotkick for the game decision. Belmopan leads with David Trapp and he comes up with the conversion. Peter Mariano ties the score at 2-apiece for Sagitun right here.
Carlos de Lima misses the third penalty for the Bandits, but Mark “Kello” Leslie keeps the score even by sailing this shot over the crossbar. John Trapp helps his team with this conversion. Robbie Cadle comes right back with perfect execution for Sagitun. Julio Valle returns the lead to Belmopan with the left foot shot. Gabriel Ramos of course does the same for the south to force sudden death penalty.
Jair Pereira gives the Builder’s Hardware team the lead with this wicked grass head burner. So it’s up to Gilmore Palacio to keep Sagitun alive. Instead, he allows Charlie Slusher to shine as Builder’s Hardware Bandits are into the championship round with a 4-1 record. Sagitun falls to 3 and 2; the second penalty loss for Sagitun in the playoffs.
Charlie Slusher, Builder’s hardware Bandits
“I told my team, always when we kick penalty, I just need them to score, at least I would at least stop one. But it seems that with five I expected to at least stop one in five, but you got to give the Sagitun guys credit who were kicking, they did a great job. But I just got to thank God that I stopped one and give my team the victory.”
Q: Who do you prefer to meet in finals?”
Charlie Slusher
“I don’t really prefer Sagitun or Kulture, anybody you meet in the finals can beat you. We just want to be there and get the opportunity to try to win it.”
In the other playoff matches, Kulture Yabra blanked San Pedro Turquoise out at the cayes 2-zip. Therefore this coming Sunday’s schedule when Yabra hosts Sagitun at the M.C.C. Grounds, it’s for the right to join Belmopan in the championship round.
There’ll be no joy in that one, two men enter, one man leaves and he leaves with a pass to go into the finals against Builder’s Hardware Bandits of Belmopan.
That’s it for now, we invite you back same time, same place next week. Jah over all, I’m James Adderley.
