Panthers tie Valencia I to stay on top of BVI Football league

BY DEAN GREENAWAY

After a battle for supremacy in the BVI Football Association league at the A. O. Shirley Recreation Grounds last Saturday, the HBA Panthers are still on top of the standings. But, they had to fight back against Valencia I to settle for a 2-2 draw late in the game.

Valencia I took the lead in the 43rd minute with a series of controlled passes and a goal from Denzil Joseph for a 1-0 halftime lead. A defensive struggle between both squads resulted as neither wanting to concede another goal. In the 69th minute however, striker Chevron Russell got past the Panthers defense for a 2-0 lead.

The Panthers ended an 85 minute five minutes before the end of regulation when Randolph Anvis cut the score in half to give his team a fighting chance, with an additional five minutes of injury time. Carl Southerland scored three minutes into injury time, as the HBA Panthers leveled the game at 2-2, allowing them to remain at the top of the standings with 14 points.

Veterans and Virgin Gorda—the third and fourth placed teams—battled to move up in the standings. It was Veterans who took the lead in the 27th minute on the first of two goals by Tito Lewis. They led 1-0 at halftime l-0. Using his dazzling speed and accuracy, Lewis beat the Veterans defenders in the 59th minute for a 2-0 lead. BVI national team captain Avondale Williams scored the third goal in the 88th minute, after receiving pass from Gregg Grant, in the 3-0 victory.

The VP Wolves rallied from one goal down late in the second half to defeat 2003 champions Old Madrid 4-1. Old Madrid went into half time with a 1-0 advantage after Dion Clarke scored in the 32nd minute. Substitute Peterson Azille made his entry and immediately made an impact on the game by scoring a hat-trick. Azile evened the match in the 60th minute, then scored in the 77th minute on a penalty, then capped of his scoring eight minutes later. Between Azile’s second and third goals, David Finlayson scored in the 79th minute to complete the 4-1 victory. Old Madrid slipped from being champions to find themselves at the bottom of the table.

Valencia 2 defeated Connections 2-0. After a scoreless first half that saw a number of missed opportunities on goal, they finally got their reward in the 48th when Jhon Julio netted his first of two goals. Seven minutes later, victory was sealed when Julio made it 2-0 and Connections failed to respond.