PRE-SEASON favourites St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) and former champions Garvey Maceo High will meet in Saturday’s final of the ISSA/LIME daCosta Cup schoolboys’ football competition after beating Port Antonio High and Frome Technical respectively in the semi-finals last week.

On Friday at the St Elizabeth Technical sports complex, Garvey Maceo beat Frome Technical 2-0 and a day later STETHS got the better of Port Antonio by the same margin at Jarrett Park.

The two winners will meet at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on Saturday to decide the 2013 champions and Manning Cup Jamaica College’s opponents in the Olivier Shield showdown.

Ishmael Currie and Ryan Scott scored for Garvey Maceo as they booked their first final since winning it all in 2007 while second half goals from Jovan James and substitute Teavor McCollough kept STETHS on course for the double after they had won the Ben Francis KO earlier.

This will be STETHS’s third daCosta Cup final in five years after winning in 2009 and losing last season, and have won the last four Ben Francis Knockout titles.

STETHS’ coach Omar Wedderburn told reporters after the game on Saturday, “We have to now refocus on the final and what we have to do to get these players ready,” saying they had to make adjustments at half-time when the game was still in the balance and tied at 0-0.

He said they had to “put the ball on the ground to nullify the long ball from Port Antonio”.

Carl Brissett, who was in the semi-final for the first time and showed some nerves on the sidelines, said the first goal that came after 55 minutes knocked the fight out of his team.

“We planned to hit them on the counter but we lost the game after the first goal,” and also told reporters “We did not play well, as well as we hoped to and that was why we lost the game today.”

Despite Wedderburn saying STETHS did not play well in the firsthalf they had a handful of scoring chances, some they created, others they were gifted but failed to capitalise on.

Port Antonio’s goalkeeper Zandy Walker almost handed STETHS the lead in the 23rd minute when he misplayed a ball that flew over his head but he managed to scramble back to push away the ball before it had completely crossed the goal line.

STETHS had Port Antonio High under pressure for a long period late in the first half but failed to make use of their chances.

Hall’s free kick from about 20 yards came back off Walker’s right post in the 29th minute and two minutes later the striker was sent through by a ball that was played over from the midfield, but Devonte Davidson was well placed to block the shot for a corner.

Walker was forced to scramble on all fours to get to a ball in a melee of players in the six yards box in the 33rd minute before they managed to repel the waves of attack.

Port Antonio got their best chance of the game in the 38th minute when a ferocious free kick from Cordel Kennedy beat STETHS’ goalkeeper Enrique Rochester, but crashed on to the crossbar and back into play.

STETHS finally got the deserved lead 10 minutes into the second half when James hit the ball on the half-volley from close range after a cross was swung in from the right side.

The former Rusea’s High player missed a second goal in the 76th minute when his shot hit the crossbar on its way out.

Sensing that time was running out, Port Antonio made some adjustments pushing Kennedy who started at central defence, into attack along with Daniel Roberts.

That move weakened the defence and STETHS exploited it as McCollough, who had replaced James in the 83rd minute scored in the 90th minute. A rasping free kick from Hall was knocked down by Port Antonio’s Walker and McCollough was the first to get to it, smashing it into the unprotected goal.