The Avengers took a 1-0 lead when Keithrece Smith opened the scoring in the 20th minute and Kezia Gumbs equalized two minutes after the break. VG United Captain Anna French scored from a penalty in the corner for the 2-1 victory as the Avengers were unable to convert any of their remaining chances.

Alberttold Island Sun Sports that some of his players are new to the game and he told them that if they work hard, it doesn’t have to be skill, but working hard as a team and executing everything they practiced and discussed and put it all into the game. He also encouraged them to forget about the opening loss when he wasn’t available.

“I came with a game plan and I know Avengers players inside and outside, having worked with them from the grassroots level,” Albert noted. “I know who to target and not to target and their key players. I didn’t put pressure on them, but let them put the pressure and they got a lot of changes but did not bury their chances.”

Albert said he applied pressure when the Avengers got tired.

“That’s how we got the two goals,” he noted. “They scored first and I know they’re very skillful and are very good players, but they weren’t fit enough for the way they were trying to play. When they got tired, I attacked. This is a big victory. The team is very disciplined and they listened to everything I said—when to come back or when to pressure—they listened and my plan went good.”

Jeffrey “Zambi” Demming told Island Sun Sports that VG United were prepared for the game while his players were a bit lackadaisical.

“For some reason, we didn’t have a good game at all,” he said. “There weren’t like they were ready—even in warmups—but I think my players took the team for granted because of their new players. They thought it would have been an easy walk over and I think they took it for granted. But we did well to hold them to 2-1.”

Men’s games

Noel Maxwell had a Hat Trick and an assist in leading the Wolues to an 8-2 romp over One Caribbean. Luca Reich scored in the 62nd and 72nd minutes, while Erol Van Der Meulen scored a second for One Caribbean from the penalty spot in the 75th to make it 5-2. Maxwell—who had a first half goal—notched his second and third goals in the 88th and 89th minutes respectively before Christopher Farmer made it 8-2 in added time.

The visiting Rebels (Curtly Peters 15’ and Austin Prentice, 34’) and VG United (Austin Prentice, 39’ and Johnathon Gonzalez, 6’ added time) played to a 2-2- draw.

Host Sugar Boys (own goal 29’ and Rolland Roberts, 72’) white washed the visiting Lion Heart, 2-0.

One Love, with four first half goals from Rushedo Robinson, Richard Morgan, Mauricio Guevara Villanueva and Carl Stewart, toppled the Panthers, 4-1, as Vanrick Depesche had their only score.