It went the full distance in Game One of the 2023 Super Six finals at Warner Park on Saturday night as defending champions SL Horfords St. Paul’s United displayed their never-say-die attitude to win 4-3 on penalties to defeat Rams Village Superstars. Both teams were locked 1-1 at regulation time, after Village forward Joseph Wilkes, pounced on an error by goalkeeper Jamal Jeffers to give the Basseterre side an early lead in the 4h minute. But One minute later, league MVP Keithroy Freeman slotted home the equalizer sending St. Paul’s fans in a frenzy. Both teams battled for a winning goal including Village hitting the post in the first half, but despite their efforts, even in extra time, none could get the go-ahead goal, leading to penalty shootouts.
After the match, we spoke to Jamal Jeffers, goalkeeper for St. Paul’s. We asked him about the error he made that led to the first goal for Village and if that was what spurred him to take a crucial penalty kick followed by a save, which was instrumental to St. Paul’s victory. “I made a mistake early in the game. All in all, it’s not how hard you fall, it is how hard you get up,” Jeffers said. “At the end of the day, we’re humans, we’re gonna make mistakes but it’s how you are gonna make an impact after you make a mistake. So I was happy that I came out the heroic one at the end of the day.”
Coach Steven Clarke of Village said his team gave their all and they just have to put this behind them and look ahead to game two. “They really fought, and they really put in the effort. I can’t ask for anything more. In a penalty shootout, it can go either way. We had two chances to actually win, but tough luck to the players that missed (penalty shots). We have to go and come again,” Clarke said.
Game two is on Tuesday at 8 pm at the Warner Park. With a 1-0 lead, St. Paul’s would just need to win this match to successfully defend their Premier League title. A Village victory however would force a game three, which will be played on Friday, September 29th.
