Poor shooting costs Mount Pleasant

A poor shooting display in the first half cost Mount Pleasant Football Academy as they went down 2-1 to Dominican Republic outfit Cibao FC in their opening Group B match of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup yesterday at the National Stadium.

Diego Ledesma opened the scoring for Cibao in the 43rd minute before Nickalia Fuller pulled Mount Pleasant level in the 69th minute.

Mariano Nichele secured all three points for Cibao when he struck in the 81st minute.

Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore, head coach of Mount Pleasant, believed his team deserved a positive result after creating a number of chances.

He admitted, however, that chances mean little unless they are converted.

“Disappointed with the result, but I think – the performance of the players tonight – I think we deserved something out of the game,” Whitmore said in his post-match interview.

“I think we dominated possession, but in the final third, we came up short this afternoon. We created numerous goalscoring opportunities to get something out of the game, but such is the nature of the game,” he continued.

“This game is about results, and we failed to put the ball in the back of the net.”

A constant threat

Mount Pleasant started brightly and enjoyed the lion’s share of opportunities in the opening half.

A glorious chance went begging in the 21st minute when Nicholas Nelson was released on a counterattack.

With only the goalkeeper to beat, Nelson aimed for the top-right corner but sent his effort wide of the target.

Mount Pleasant again threatened in the 30th minute when Green burst between a pair of defenders and fired at goal, but his effort was parried away by Cibao goalkeeper Miguel Lloyd.

Nelson remained a constant threat and tested Lloyd again seven minutes later from a tighter angle, but his dragged effort drifted wide of the far post.

Trayvone Reid was the next Mount Pleasant player to get a sight of goal. He targeted the near post, but the outcome was the same as the ball rolled agonisingly wide.

The St Ann-based club paid dearly for those missed opportunities as Cibao took the lead against the run of play after a scramble in the box allowed Ledesma to find the back of the net.

Mount Pleasant nearly found an immediate response when Reid rattled the crossbar from a free kick.

Jahshaun Anglin was left with his head in his hands in stoppage time, convinced he had found the equaliser only to see his shot spin inches wide.

Midfield battle

The second half was far less open as the game developed into a tense midfield battle, with both teams fighting for possession.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man, and Fuller proved to be just that, scoring six minutes after entering the contest.

Collecting the ball out wide, Fuller showcased excellent footwork, skipping past three defenders before firing a low drive into the back of the net.

Cibao regained the lead in the 81st minute when Nichele was on hand to convert a loose ball after an initial save by Shaquan Davis.

Javier Roces nearly made it 3-1 in the 90th minute, but Davis was on hand to make a save at his near post.

With the result, Cibao moved to the top of the group standings with four points, ahead of Salcedo, who are second on three points.

Scheldeur Sainvilus, Cibao’s head coach, said the result was a massive achievement for his team as they entered the match knowing victory was essential.

He said it was an even greater accomplishment as they defeated the competition’s defending champions on their home ground.

“We are so happy today. We won a game that was a final for us. In the Caribbean Cup, you only play four matches, so we had to win this game. We’re so happy because we won against the last champions of the Caribbean Cup,” he said.

“Mt Pleasant is a very good team with very good players, so we’re so happy right now.”

Mount Pleasant remain at the foot of the standings without a point and will go in search of their first win when they face Salcedo on September 2.

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com