Mona High may have relinquished their Manning Cup crown, but they are now one step away from redemption after a tense 4-3 penalty shootout victory over St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) in the ISSA Walker Cup Knockout semi-finals at the Stadium East Field on Thursday.

A 1-1 deadlock after regulation time, played under soggy conditions due to persistent rain, set the stage for the nail-biting finish that booked Mona a December 6 showdown against Excelsior High, who earlier secured a 2-0 win over Wolmer’s Boys in their contest.

Keeno Levy’s own goal gave Mona a 43rd-minute lead, but Alexavier Gooden’s 90th-minute freekick kept STATHS hopes alive until the dreaded penalties.

While it was not the title that they wanted to play for, Mona’s coach Dane Peralto praised his team’s resilience and welcomed the opportunity to possibly add the Walker Cup to their trophy cabinet.

“It was a gritty performance; the conditions didn’t allow us to play the ball as well as we would like to, but we showed some composure, especially when we were kicking the penalties. Winning a title is always a good thing; this Walker Cup was never our end game, but we are in it to try to win something at least, so we will definitely go for it,” Peralto said in a post-game interview.

The match began on a cautious note, with both sides struggling to adjust to the heavy underfoot conditions. STATHS nearly seized an early lead when JLoyd Smith unleashed a long-range rocket in the eighth minute, but Mona’s goalkeeper, Riquelme Edwards, pulled off a stunning acrobatic save to deny him.

Mona grew into the game and went close in the 38th minute when Denzel McKenzie’s curling free kick rattled the crossbar.

However, fortune smiled on the dethroned champions five minutes later. A mix-up between STATHS goalkeeper Jaheem Thomas and defender Levy resulted in the latter inadvertently steering the ball into his own net while attempting to clear, giving Mona a 1-0 lead at the break.

The second half was a scrappy affair, with chances hard to come by as the soggy pitch hampered fluid play. Mona’s Demarion Harris had the best opportunity in the 64th minute, breaking through the defence to unleash a powerful right-footed strike that Thomas expertly parried.

Just as Mona seemed poised to see out the game, STATHS found a lifeline in the dying moments of regulation time. Gooden stepped up and fired a free kick from just over 20 yards out through Mona’s four-man wall and past a helpless Edwards to level the score and force the game into penalties.

The penalty shootout as expected was dramatic, but Mona displayed composure under pressure, converting four of their five spot-kicks through Carlton Brown, Robino Gordon, Dante Peralto, and Cameron Sailsman. Denzel McKenzie’s effort, however, was saved.

For STATHS, Gooden, Howard Linton, and Delaney White found the back of the net, but Smith’s attempt clanged off the crossbar, and Ajetai Marshall’s kick was saved by Edwards.

STATHS’ Head coach Phillip Williams lauded his players, though the loss was a bitter pill to swallow.

“It’s the lottery, and we can’t do anything about it; it is about nerves, but I think the guys did well today. The underfoot condition played a factor, but the boys gave their best,” he stated.