BELIZE CITY, Mon. Jan. 21, 2019– There were no surprises in the finals of the CYDP Peace Cup 2018-2019 football tournament on Saturday, January 19, at the MCC Grounds, where Caesar Ridge FC crushed Lucky Strike FC, 5-1, to take the 3rd place prize of $2,000.00; and Barrack Road FC shut out Ladyville FC, 3-0, in game 2 of their series for a 9-1 aggregate score (Barrack Road had won game 1 by a 6-1 margin) to secure 1st place and the $5,000.00 prize, while Ladyville FC settled for 2nd place and $3,000.00.
In the 3rd place opener, Caesar Ridge FC got goals from Elmore “Esky” Godoy (34’), Sydney “Buck-it” Bradley (47’), Gilroy “Bredda” Thurton (53’), Kenroy Linarez (67’) and David Flores (89’); while the only goal for Lucky Strike FC was by Fredi Estivera.
In the championship game 2, Barrack Road FC cruised to a 3-0 victory for the 9-1 aggregate win and the championship over Ladyville FC. Steven “Breds” Baizar struck twice (27’ & 37’) and Kevin “Motto” Alvarez (46’) added another to start second half.
The tournament had kicked off on September 1, 2018, with 15 teams divided into Group A (8 teams) and Group B (7 teams). After a single round-robin, the top 4 teams from Group A were matched against the top 4 teams from Group B in best-of-2 games quarterfinal series, where Caesar Ridge FC defeated City Boys FC, Ladyville FC eliminated FC Elite, Barrack Road FC prevailed over Lake-I FC, and Lucky Strike FC won in penalty shoot-out over Coast Guard FC.
The best-of-2 games semifinals saw Ladyille FC with the 4-0 aggregate (1-0 and 3-0) over Lucky Strike FC; and Barrack Road FC with the 4-2 aggregate (3-1 and 1-1) over Caesar Ridge FC.
Team and individual award trophies were issued immediately after the championship game. Cash prizes will reportedly be deposited into the teams’ respective bank accounts.
All individual awards, with the exception of the tournament MVP, had been announced previously. Yesterday, it was announced that the CYDP Peace Cup MVP was Steven “Breds” Baizar of champions, Barrack Road FC.
Other awardees, not all of whom were present to receive their trophies, included: Most Goals Scorers (4 players tied) – Hubert Baptist (Lake-I FC), Naim “Nemo” Wilson (FC Elite), Jose Martinez (Caesar Ridge FC), Tyrone Parchue (Ladyville FC); Best Goalkeeper – Guillermo Ramirez (Belize Coast Guard FC); Best Manager – Brenford Middleton (Caesar Ridge FC); Best Forward – Sean Young (Ladyville FC); Best Defender – Carlos Guerra (FC Elite); Best Midfielder – Elmore “Esky” Godoy (Caesar Ridge FC); Best Coach – Winder Ellington (Belize Coast Guard FC); Most Disciplined Player – Kieron “Benny” Patnett (City Boys FC).
The CYDP Peace Cup was endorsed by the Belize District Football Association (BDFA) as its official 1st Division Opening Season. A CYDP source said yesterday that its Peace Cup will re-open in August of 2019; but the BDFA is reportedly holding a meeting on Tuesday of this week to plan its 1st Division Closing Season 2018-2019.