- Carlington Wilmot/Freelance Photographer
Barbican's Kerry-Ann Edwards (left) tries to get past Harbour View's Tishana Darby during their first leg Sherwin Williams Women's League football final at Constant Spring playfield yesterday. The game ended 1-1.
Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS Barbican and Harbour View will have it all to play for in next week's second leg Sherwin Williams Women's Football League final after they played to an exciting 1-1 draw at Constant Spring yesterday.
Kerry-Ann Edwards gave Barbican the lead in the eighth minute, but Antoinette Reynolds equalised for Harbour View, the knockout champions, in the 52nd minute, thus setting up the decider on Saturday.
Apart from the build-up from which Barbican scored, not much happened for the remainder of the first half. It was a good goal though and started when Edwards collected a through pass from midway in Harbour View's half and cut back before firing past 'keeper Paula Jackson, who had no chance.
After the break, action swung from end to end and although Harbour View looked more threatening, Barbican's Nicole Nicely was guilty of not putting her team 2-0 up after shooting wide from close range in the 48th minute.
From then on it was all Harbour View. The girls from east Kingston were rewarded for their dominance when Reynolds latched on to a rebounding free kick to fire past Nikkesha Thomas.
HARBOUR VIEW CONTINUES ATTACK
Harbour View did not stop attacking and minutes later if it wasn't for Thomas, who kept a clean league sheet up to yesterday, Kimmia Parker's 20-yard free kick would have ended up in the back of the net. Harbour View soon had another opportunity to go 2-1 up but were foiled by poor finishing on the part of Shakera Duncan who had only the 'keeper to beat but kicked wide of goal.
Barbican got back into the game in the dying moments and could have score if Nadolo Chase got her header on goal, however, it went into the ground.
Harbour View's coach, Vin Blaine, was somewhat disappointed with the result.
"I think we had the go-ahead goal and never took the opportunity to score it," Blaine said. "Overall, it was a good game."
Blaine said it was nervousness on the part of his players which caused the early goal.
"We started off a little bit nervous," he said. "W had them for 70 per cent of the game in the last half I think we tired a little bit, so they came back into the game, but I am a little bit disappointed we did not put away the second goal."
Come next week, he said: "I hope that this game has taken away the butterflies and the players come back more positive. If they understand what happened in this game, they will realise they had Barbican on the backfoot all day."
Barbican's coach, Charles Edwards, was more than thankful for the result and promised a better game next week.
"I think we had a good game this afternoon I don't think anyone can leave disappointed," Edwards said.
"I think we have to get back to the drawingboard and look at how to conquer them next week. We will be coming to play them as hard as we can and even better than today," he said.
