BRANDONS BEACH was on fire last weekend as both semi-finals of the Banks B3 beach soccer tournament went down to the wire.
In the first match, defending champions Sand Gods succumbed to feisty home boys De Farm, while tournament favourites De Medics received the same treatment from BDF Sandstorm 3-1.
Both teams showed great determination to overcome formidable opponents, in front of a jam-packed audience. Sand Gods were hoping to make it a hat-trick of championships on the beach but De Farm had other ideas and made this clear from the start.
Ricardo Carter scored a superb goal, executing with power and precision to beat the flying Sand Gods custodian; however, shortly after Sand Gods equalised through Carl Joseph.
His downward header from a John Hawkesworth pass met fittingly with the beach bounce and completely deceived De Farm’s custodian Kerry Holder.
Anthony Forde returned the lead to the home team just before the end of the first period with a textbook “striker’s turn” and firing low and hard past the helpless custodian.
The momentum of the game was heart-throbbing, and Hawkesworth’s equaliser made the game even more joyful to watch. De Farm seemed to be always one step ahead of their opponents, and so they proved by grabbing the lead for the third time.
A mix-up between the custodian and Joseph allowed Carter to score his second of the evening, as easy as Sunday afternoon, tapping into an open net.
With defeat staring them in the face, the defending champions proved their worth by equalising in the final minute of the game, through captain and the tournament’s leading scorer, Tristan Parris.
Penalties were to be the decider and sadly for Sand Gods it was their farewell game, going down 2-0 on penalties. Scoring for De Farm were Carter and Anthony Forde, while Joseph and Parris’ efforts were saved by custodian Forde.
In the second semi-final, De Medics took an early lead via Sherwin Success early in the first period, but the BDF showed their typical gritty character and scored three late goals in the final period to clinch a finals berth. (ROG)
