MoBay get home whipping from visiting UWI
TUCKER, St James — The University of the West Indies (UWI) FC extended their unbeaten run against Montego Bay United (MBU) to five games after defeating the former champions 3-1 in their first-round Red Stripe Premier League game at WesPow Park in Tucker yesterday.
Late goals from Javoy Belnavis and Ryan Miller broke a 1-1 scoreline as UWI FC snapped their own two-game winless run while extending MBU’s to five games since they last won a game this season.
Rochane Smith gave UWI FC the lead in the 19th minute, but Allan Ottey scored his first of the season in the 72nd minute to draw his team level.
Andrew Peart, coach of UWI FC, described his team’s win as “great” and said they were happy to return to winning ways. They rise to joint third place in the points table with defending champions Portmore United on 14 points as MBU remained in eighth place on 10 points.
MBU Coach Vassell Reynolds was a disappointed man, especially with how his team played in the second half.
“I thought we did not play too badly in the first half, but not as composed as we should have been,” he said.
Moments after MBU goalkeeper Aian Miller blocked a powerful header from point-blank range on the goal line with his foot, UWI FC took the lead.
A weak clearance from the MBU defence went to Smith, who had the time to strike the ball into the lower right hand corner of the goal as MBU conceded for the first time on over 200 minutes.
Two changes, both forced through injuries, served to help revive the MBU team and one of the substitutes, Wade Daley, set up the equaliser when his cross from the left beat the UWI FC defence, leaving Ottey with a wide open goal to tap the ball into in the 72nd minute.
UWI FC retook the lead three minutes later when another defensive breakdown allowed Belnavis some space and he curled a low hard shot past Miller into the far left corner of the goal.
Miller put the game out of reach of the MBU team when his shot from the top of the box passed the body of the diving Miller in the 85th minute.
Teams:
Montego Bay United — Aian Miller, Keneil Kirlew, Dwayne Ambusley (Wade Daley-66th), John Barrett, Winston Wilkinson, Shemar Robinson, Nicholas Amponsah, Jermaine Woozencroft (Nevaun Turner-85th), Trevaughn Walker (Omar Brown-46th), Allan Ottey, Odane Nish.
Subs not used: Z Hutchinson, O McBayne, A Drummond, R Wellington
Booked: None
UWI FC — Amal Knight, Taniel McKenzie, Dravian Williams, Javoy Belnavis, Kemar Flemmings, Kemoy Atkinson, Rochane Smith, Ryan Miller (Michael Heaven-88th), Fabion McCarthy, Patrick Brown (Deno Schaffe-65th), Davion Garrison (Dwayne Smith-69th).
Subs not used: A Greenland, S Barnett, G Brown, J Henry
Booked: None
Referee: Cordella Samuels
Assistants: Richard Washington, Kemar Bailey
Fourth Official: Derron Davy
Match Commissary: Gavin McNeil
— Paul Reid