BELIZE CITY, Tue. Mar. 20, 2018– Over the weekend, male and female tertiary level football teams, zone champions from across the country, converged at the MCC Grounds for the Association of Tertiary Level Institutions of Belize (ATLIB) national football championship. The four zone champions for female and male junior colleges participated in a simple knockout format on Saturday, with the two losers on Saturday playing for third place on Sunday, while the two Saturday winners met on Sunday for the championship in both female and male categories.
Females
In game 1 on Saturday morning, Southern champs, Independence Junior College (IJC) girls drilled the Northern Zone champs, Centro Escolar Mexico Junior College (CEMJC), 3-0, with goals from Karisha Coe (25’ & 54’) and Jelissa Foreman (26’). In game 2 on Saturday afternoon, the Western Zone champs, UB girls won, 2-0, over the Central Zone champs, St. John’s Junior College (SJCJC), with goals by Sabrina Eiley (13’) and Jada Brown (56’).
In game 3 on Sunday morning, the consolation match for 3rd place saw Centro Escolar Mexico with the 1-0 win over SJCJC, when CEMJC captain Aneli Ek scored the winning goal in the 40th minute.
In game 4, the championship final on Sunday afternoon, the UB girls prevailed 4-0 over Independence JC girls, with 3 goals from MVP Jada Brown (22’, 30’ & 35’) and the other by Sabrina Eiley (40’).
Males
In game 1 on Saturday morning, the Northern Zone champs, Centro Escolar Mexico JC men outlasted the Southern champs, Stann Creek Ecumenical JC men, 2-1. SCEJC’s Jonard Castillo scored in the 14th minute, but CEMJC’s Luis Witz equalized in the 29th minute, and Jassiel Che scored the game winner for CEMJC in the 44th minute.
In game 2 on Saturday afternoon, the Western Zone champs, Sacred Heart JC men won, 2-0, over Central Zone champs, St. John’s Junior College men, with goals by Krisean Lopez (20’) and Nahjib Guerra in the 2nd half.
In game 3, the consolation match for 3rd place on Sunday morning, SCEJC men won, 5-0, over SJCJC. Donnell Arzu opened the scoring, Jonard Castillo added a hat trick to push the lead to 4-0, and Floyd Tillett scored to make it 5-0.
And in game 4, the championship final on Sunday afternoon, the Sacred Heart JC men won 6-0 over CEMJC, with MVP Jarret Davis scoring 4 goals (9’, 36’, 41’ & 48’) and Edmund Martinez (24’) and Nahjib Guerra (27’) netting 1 each for Sacred Heart JC.
Awards
At the end of the tournament, the ATLIB Committee presented team trophies and individual medals to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners for both females and males.
For the females, UB’s top “goleadora” Jada Brown won the Most Valuable Player award, hardly stopping to tie her boot laces, before going on to win another championship final with the Jewel Fury girls, 2-0, over San Pedro in the Corozal District Female Football Tournament later on Sunday afternoon! For the males, Sacred Heart JC’s Jarret Davis won the Most Valuable Player award.
(Photos: William Ysaguirre)