Garvey Maceo placed one foot in the semi-final of the ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup after a commanding 3-0 victory over Munro College in their Group B quarterfinal contest at Glenmuir High on Wednesday.

Garvey Maceo secured three crucial points courtesy of goals from Rushawn Whyte (74th), Omarian O’Brian (78th), and Rakeesh Jones (90+2), as they asserted their dominance in a game marked by missed chances, thrilling attacks, and at times, some good glovework by Jason Williams in goal for Munro College.

With the win, Garvey Maceo, dubbed the ‘Cubanz’ took control of Group B on four points, two points ahead of Central High and Ocho Rios High, who played out a 1-1 stalemate in the other fixture. By virtue of that, Garvey Maceo only require a point in their final contest against Ocho Rios High to confirm their semi-final berth.

It is for this reason that Head coach Lester Hibbert was beaming with delight at the outcome.

“It was an excellent performance; we are here for a reason so it is just for us to now go back to the training pitch, refocus and work hard again. The boys came out and they did excellent because they wanted this so going forward people will see what Garvey Maceo is all about,” Hibbert said.

It was a relentless display of control and attacking prowess by Garvey Maceo from the outset, as they were more aggressive and constantly challenged Munro’s backline.

In fact, they should have won by a wider margin as they created a string of early chances, but the finishes eluded them at that point.

In the 32nd minute, Everald Swaby offered a glimpse of Garvey Maceo’s intent when he dismissed his marker and let loose a powerful strike that forced Munro’s custodian Jason Williams into a crucial save at the near post.

That would be one of several moments where Williams proved vital in goal, as he stood tall against a flurry of Garvey Maceo attacks.

With the scoreline being goalless at the break, Garvey Maceo picked up where they left off on the resumption and went close a minute in as Rajay McLaughlin fired off a shot that skimmed wide of the post.

McLaughlin continued to test Munro’s defence in the 48th minute, his shot blocked by a quick-thinking defender. On the resulting corner, O’Brian’s effort eluded all and sundry and nearly found the net.

Garvey Maceo’s siege on Munro’s goal persisted as the match wore on, and Livingston Donaldson’s close-range attempt in the 61st minute demanded another save from Williams.

Williams again came to Munro’s rescue as he dived full stretch to deny Swaby’s powerful shot just five minutes later.

But the breakthrough felt inevitable and it came courtesy of Whyte, who fired a well-placed shot to the far corner for his fifth goal of the campaign.

Garvey Maceo doubled their lead four minutes later, as O’Brian, delivering his 11th goal of the season in spectacular style with a brilliant solo run that saw him glide past multiple defenders before calmly slotting the ball home.

With Munro reeling, the Clarendon team helped themselves to another goal. A Wilton Williams cross was mishandled by the otherwise impressive Jason Williams, allowing Jones to pounce and seal the win in time added.

Munro’s Head coach Kemar Ricketts was left disappointed but pointed out that they’ll look to bounce back in their final contest against Central High.

“It was a disappointing performance in the second half; we wanted to get something out of the game but such is life and we just have to regroup and come again,” Ricketts noted.

Wednesday’s results

Garvey Maceo 3, Munro College 0

Frome Technical 1, STETHS 3

Central High 1, Ocho Rios High 1

Tuesday’s Result

Glenmuir 4, McGrath 1

Garvey Maceo appeared poised to claim all three points against Central High after racing to a brisk two-goal lead in their Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Wata Group B quarterfinal clash in May Pen.

However, a resilient Central High team clawed their way back, forcing Garvey Maceo to settle for a 2-2 stalemate and a share of the spoils in a dramatic Clarendon derby on Saturday.

Antwone Wright (36th) and Ean Noel (60th) were responsible for Central High’s comeback after Omarion O’Brian (1st) and Everald Swaby (8th) did the early damage for Garvey Maceo.

With the result, things remain evenly poised in the group as all four teams—Garvey Maceo, Central High, Ocho Rios, and Munro College—are on a point each in their hunt for the top two spots to the semi-finals.

Garvey Maceo’s Head coach Lester Hibbert, expressed disappointment with his team’s inability to hold onto their early lead but acknowledged Central’s resilience.

“It is just a few goals that resulted in the two goals that we conceded that cost us the three points. But apart from that, the boys played brilliantly; we just have to shake this off, regroup, and come again for our next game on Tuesday,” Hibbert said.

The match started with a bang, as poor defending from Central High allowed O’Brian to break the deadlock with a firm finish from just inside the 18-yard box with a mere 15 seconds on the clock.

Just seven minutes later, Swaby doubled the lead with a well-placed left-footed strike from Christopher Mundle’s cross, sending Garvey Maceo’s supporters into a frenzy. With such an explosive start, it looked as though the game might be a lopsided affair, with Garvey Maceo controlling possession and Central struggling to keep up.

But as the first half progressed, Central High settled into their rhythm and began pushing back, eager to avoid an early defeat in this critical quarterfinal contest.

Their persistence paid off in the 36th minute when Wright again got in behind Garvey Maceo’s high defensive line and finished a precision shot beyond custodian Garfield Tomlinson to reignite Central’s hopes.

That goal energized Central, who ended the half with renewed confidence and a more organized defence.

Central maintained their momentum on the resumption and eventually pulled level at the hour mark when Dellan Briscoe placed a pass on a platter for Noel, who finished a firm left-footer that left the Garvey Maceo fans stunned.

Garvey Maceo regained their rhythm and both teams pressed for the winning goal but were unable to make the most of their few half chances and had to settle for a point.

For Central High’s Jermaine Douglas, the draw felt like a victory after a difficult start.

“It was the worst possible start for us; the last thing you can do is concede in the first minute, and we managed to do that, and then we again conceded after that. But I think once we settled we made better decisions in the final third and we probably should have won this game,” Douglas noted.