Manning Cup: KC end Mona’s title defense, secure semifinal spot

Kingston College (KC) defeated Mona High 2-0 on Friday at Stadium East, securing a spot in the urban-area ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup semifinals and eliminating the defending champions from the competition.

Guyanese Kvist Paul’s eighth-minute strike and Demario Dailey’s 15th goal of the season in the 70th minute sealed KC's victory as they rebounded strongly from a 3-0 defeat to Jamaica College (JC) earlier in the week.

With the win, KC finished second in Group A with six points from three matches. The North Street-based team ended one point behind JC, who secured their semifinal spot as group winners with a 4-0 victory over Tivoli Gardens High at Ashenheim Stadium.

JC and KC also secured berths in the all-island Champions Cup, which begins on Tuesday, November 19, as two of the four urban-area representatives.

The remaining two urban spots will be decided on Saturday when Hydel face Campion College at Prison Oval in Spanish Town and Excelsior meet St Catherine High at Stadium East in Group B's final quarterfinal-round fixtures.

Tivoli secured third place with three points, while Mona  finished at the bottom of the four-team table with one point. The standings mean Tivoli and Mona have qualified for the quarterfinals of the urban-area Walker Cup competition, set to begin Thursday, November 21.

KC head coach Vassell Reynolds praised his team's discipline and execution.

"It was a fantastic performance. We knew Mona would come out strong, but the boys stuck to the game plan and delivered when it mattered. Now, we look ahead to the semifinals, but as always, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. The aim is to keep the boys grounded and focused," Reynolds said.

Video courtesy of SportsMax TV.

Friday’s resultsKC 2, Mona High 0JC 4, Tivoli 0

Saturday’s gamesHydel High vs Campion College at Prison Oval (3:00 pm)Excelsior High vs  St Catherine High at Stadium East (3:00 pm)