Somerset Eagles 2 Robin Hood 2 (Somerset Eagles win 5-4 on penalties)

Nathan Rego scored one of the goals of the season as Somerset Eagles battled past Robin Hood to win the First Division Shield in a dramatic game at Wellington Oval on New Year’s day.

Rego executed an outstanding overhead kick from just outside the six-yard box in the 52nd minute to cancel out Sebastian Davis’s first-half opener for Hood. Eagles then took the lead through Zaire Smith before James Cooper equalised.

With no further goals in extra time, the game went to penalties with both goalkeepers, Yazhrayal Williams for Eagles and Curtis Jackson for Hood, producing two saves each to send the shoot-out into sudden death.

With the score at 4-4 on penalties, Hood’s Kwame Naylor skied his penalty over the bar, which allowed Nicholas Massa to step up and fire past Jackson to send the Eagles players and fans into wild celebrations.

Eagles coach Stephen “Dread” Burrows was delighted that his side had lifted the trophy after they were knocked out at the semi-final stage in the past two seasons.

“This was a long time coming,” Burrows said. “It was a tough game but we told our players that if you train hard, you’ll reap the rewards and that’s what happened today. This is also extra special for me as I won this trophy as a player and now I’ve won it as a coach.”

Hood controlled the opening half with orchestrated passing through their midfield and pinning the opposition in their own half, with Eagles content to put numbers behind the ball and rely on counte- attacks when the opportunity arose.

On one such occasion, burly striker Rushaine Murphy and Zico Saltus-Seymour interchanged passes before the latter hit a firm drive which forced Jackson into making a one-handed save to push the dipping shot over the top.

Hood’s dominance paid off in as they took the lead in the 31st minute. The skillful Xahvi DeRosa made a darting run down the right flank and his low cross found Sebastian Davis running in at the back post. He connected without breaking stride to beat Eagles goalkeeper Williams with a firm half volley.

The Eagles started the second half well and equalised early with Rego’s contender for goal of the season. Hood conceded a foul just inside their half and the ball was floated into the box. After a coupe of deflections the ball bounced into the air and Rego connected with a perfectly executed overhead kick which left Jackson stranded as it rattled the back of the net.

Moments later, the Eagles defence failed to clear but DeRosa slammed the loose ball over the top from close range.

Eagles took the lead in the 65th minute through substitute Zaire Smith, who scored with his first touch after coming on just a couple of minutes earlier. Recovering his balance from a stumble, Smith neatly lobbed the advancing Jackson after being put through on goal.

The West End side almost scored a third when Rego shot low but Jackson was equal to the task, diving to his right to pull the effort in and Eagles continued to press with Rego forcing Jackson into another diving save.

Hood continued to press and were gifted their equaliser when centre back Marcus Simmons miskicked in front of goal to leave James Cooper the easy task of heading home.

With neither team able to find a winner in extra time, the crowd was treated to a tense penalty shoot-out. Williams and Jackson both made two crucial saves before Naylor’s miss gave Massa the opportunity to seal the victory for Eagles.

Scorers

Somerset Eagles: Rego 52, Smith 65

Robin Hood: Davis 31, Cooper 81

Teams

Somerset Eagles (4-2-3-1): Y Williams 8 — N Massa 6, N Fubler 6, M Simmons 6, K Coddington 6 (sub: Z Smith, 63min 6) — K Fray 6, M Groves 6 — N Rego 7, Q Watson 6, Z Saltus-Seymour 6 — R Murphy 6 (sub: C Henry, 77 5). Substitutes not used: S Hewey, S Wainwright, T Brangman, K Butterfield. Booked: Fubler, Smith.

Robin Hood (4-2-3-1): C Jackson 8 — K Davis 6 (sub: J Cooper, 59 6), Tariq Bean 5 (sub: K Leverock, 110), T Manders 6, S Madeiros 6 — K Naylor 6, H Ziai 6 - X DeRosa 7, Tokia Bean 6, S Davis 6 — K Bean 6. Substitutes not used: M Madeiros, B Tyson-Gooden, J Taylor A Peets. Booked: Davis.

Referee: D Jackson