Women's football powerhouses Barbican and Waterhouse will today lead newcomers Santos and Trelawny Women into the semi-finals of the Sherwin Williams Colourscape Knockout.

The matches, which will be played at Barbican playing field at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively, will see last season's beaten finalists Waterhouse taking on Trelawny in the opener, and defending league champions Barbican tackling surprise semi-finalists Santos in the feature encounter.

"We don't expect it to be easy, but we want to be in the final and will be giving it our best shot. We have been to the knockout finals for the past two seasons and were beaten by Harbour View twice, so now that Harbour View are not in the semi-finals we are hoping that we will be able to claim the title," said Waterhouse coach, Xavier Gilbert.

The Drewsland-based outfit, who two season's ago captured the league title, will look to left back Tasheka Small, strikers Teashian Thomas and Sydonnie Hall and midfielder Kemiesha Wilmot.

Trelawny Women, who got the better of Reno in the quarter-final round, have been ousted from the league competition. They will enter the game as underdogs and will need to put in a stellar performance if they are to advance.

Close encounter

Waterhouse defeated Trelawny 3-2 at Drewsland when the teams met in inter-zone league play earlier this season.

The feature is expected to be a much closer encounter with Santos, having eliminated the now dethroned champions Harbour View, looking for a repeat of that performance.

But on Barbican's home ground it could prove a little too much for the Carlton 'Spanner' Dennis-coached girls against a Barbican team that has gone undefeated in the league competition since the second half of the season, conceding only one goal.

Barbican will look to defenders Petrona Ricketts, Yanique Goldspring and Mitsy Facey, midfielders Janine Dennis, Alicia James and Nadola Chase, and forward Trudy-Ann Mills.

"Santos are on a high as a debutant in reaching the semi-finals. They have reached far. It is now for us to quell that high and achieve the desired result of reaching the championship game," said Barbican coach, Charles Edwards.

Mind frame

"Once the players turn up with a positive frame of mind and do what they are capable of doing, I am confident we will get through. Santos will be in for a good fight," he added.

It's the sixth season of the knockout competition. Harbour View won all five previous championships.