PHC 11 X-Roads 1

It fell just short of their biggest win of the season ‒ the 12-0 win over Somerset Eagles on February 6 ‒ but PHC did show why they are the leading scorers in the Premier Division this season with a brilliant scoring display at Goose Gosling Field last night.

The match was scoreless in the first half-hour before an own-goal by Kadeem Abraham from a X-Roads free kick opened the floodgates as an upset appeared to be on the cards.

That thought didn’t last long, however, as once PHC equalised through captain Marco Warren in the 32nd minute when he scrambled the ball home from close range, it was all one-way traffic after that.

The goals came at a fast rate, just as fast as PHC’s fluent play, which X-Roads struggled to keep pace with. In the last 15 minutes of the half, the match produced six goals, including an own goal from X-Roads’ Marcelos Thomas which was scrambled over the line to give PHC a 2-1 lead in the 33rd minute.

Antwan Russell scored the first of his three goals in the 38th minute, Enrique Russell the first of his three in the 43rd before Antwan scored his second right on half time to give the Zebras a 5-1 lead at the break.

Winger Keishon Bean made it 6-1 just seconds into the second half as PHC kept breaching X-Roads’ net at regular intervals, beating the Warriors into submission.

Enrique Russell netted two quick goals in the 51st and 52nd minutes to complete his hat-trick and put PHC up 8-1 as the prospect of beating that 12-0 scoreline certainly entered the conversation among the PHC fans.

Antwan Russell added his third in the 63rd minute and even after PHC made two double substitutions, taking off both Russells and midfielders Tre Ming and Kadeem Abraham, the goals kept coming.

Substitutes Makai Joell and Kushae Hypolite closed out the scoring with goals in the 77th and 83rd minutes.

Joell steered a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Q’Shai Darrell after a pass put him clear inside the box, while Hypolite finished off a good move down the left flank by another substitute Jaheim Iris to set up PHC’s 60th league goal this season.

SCORERS:

PHC Zebras: M Warren 32, M Thomas og 32, A Russell 38, 45, 63, E Russell 43, 51, 52, K Bean 46, M Joell 77, K Hypolite 83

X-Roads Warriors: K Abraham og 30

TEAMS

PHC (4-3-3): C Fubler 6 ‒ D Usher 7, M Lambe 6 (sub: N Griffith 76min), R DeShields 7, D Smith-Lightbourne 6 ‒ K Abraham 6 (sub: M Joell 69), M Warren 8, T Ming 7 (sub: I Taylor 61 6) ‒ A Russell 7 (sub: J Iris 76), E Russell 7 (sub: K Hypolite 61 6), K Bean 7. Substitutes not used: Shaquille Trott, Shakhai Trott. Booked: Abraham.

X-Roads (4-4-2): Q Darrell 5 ‒ L Simmons 5, J Furbert 6, M Thomas 5 (sub: Ricardo Beek 69 5), J Costa 6 ‒ J Morgan 5 (sub: A Daniels 55 6), D Woolridge 6, R Hare 6, J Minks 5 (sub: Rico Beek 55 6) ‒ D Simons 6 (sub: M Johnson 55 6), D Thompson 6. Substitutes not used: G Gibbons

Referee: M Wyer.