The official draw for the semifinal round of the 2018 Samuel P. Haven/Island Luck (IL) Cares Foundation National Soccer Championships was held Wednesday at the Bahamas Football Association’s (BFA) office.
Today’s matchups begin at 4:30 p.m. at the Roscoe A. Davies Field.
In the first game, Queen’s College takes on C.R. Walker in senior girl’s action.
The first boy’s semifinal begins at 5:55 p.m. between Anatol Rogers and St. Andrews, which will be followed by another girl’s game between Lucaya International and Aquinas College at 7:25 p.m.
The marquee match of the evening kicks off at 8:45 p.m. and features the Tabernacle Baptist senior boys against the Lyford Cay International (LCI) Dragons.
“From what we have seen so far, things have taken an interesting turn, seeing that the defending Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) champion C.R. Walker Knights senior boys were upset by Anatol Rogers,” said BFA Secretary General and Nationals Organizer Adam Miller.
“I think the game was good for the tournament, especially since C.R. Walker knocked off Anatol in the GSSSA tournament just a week prior. Now it sets up an interesting dynamic, because now Anatol will have to take on St. Andrews, the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS) champs. So, it is going to be interesting to see if they can keep up this level of play.
“Times are a bit different at the nationals. The games aren’t as long, and teams are also trying to adjust on the fly. Both divisions have produced some really exciting matches and we look forward to seeing what transpires in the semis.”
According to Miller, one of the surprises of the tournament was the way the Patrick J. Miller senior boys team out of Abaco, played on Monday. Despite falling 3-0 to St. Andrews, Miller said they gave a great effort.
“I was pretty surprised by the way they got after it on the field and held their own,” Miller said.
“I think they put out too much energy trying to come back from a 2-0 deficit. Also, when you’re playing from behind, you tend to throw caution to the wind, making that third goal easier for the opposing team to come by. But they played a great game. Like most Family Island teams, their biggest thing is exposure. We will continue to try and get them more exposure, but their effort was great.”
Miller added that, although crowd support was solid on opening day, he expects to see bigger crowds today and on the weekend.
“Even though the crowd wasn’t huge, it was loud and made an impact on the game,” said Miller.
“The opening games are always tricky, but moving forward, we expect to see bigger crowds. On the weekend, no one has to worry about having to go to school the next day after a late game so, we’re really expecting a good turnout.”
Entrance fees for the games are $1 for students in uniform and $3 for everyone else.
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