Guyana’s indoor developmental hockey team, Supernova, squeezed a place in the semis of the UWI indoor on goal difference after a fighting loss and miracle comeback in their final two preliminary matches on Saturday.
First up was their early morning encounter against Ventures Indoor Champions Queens Park (QPCC). Despite being vastly out matched in terms of experience, the young Supernova side used their superior speed and work rate to make it a competitive match throughout. Kareem McKenzie continued his fine form from penalty corners to make it 2-1 for Supernova in the 10th minute before Aidan DeGannes scored twice in the 13th and 15th minutes to put QPCC up 3-2 at half time.
Omar Hopkinson would tie things up again in the 21st minute, but shortly after received a green card. QPCC executed their one minute numerical advantage to perfection to go up 4-3 through the stick of Jerazeno Bell. Bell scored again in the 26th minute to put QPCC two goals clear, before Warren Williams answered in the 28th minute to make it 5-4. Shawn Lee Quay put the match out of doubt in the final minute when he converted a QPCC penalty corner, but Supernova earned a penalty corner soon after which McKenzie converted on the stroke of full time to make the final score 6-5 in favoured of QPCC.
In the second Match Supernova came up against a young exciting Malvern team, who played a disciplined compact half-court defence for the majority of the game to negate Supernova’s pace. The tactic worked to perfection and it was not until the final minute of the first half that Assanah was able to put one past the Marlvern goalkeeper. The second half was much of the same, with Malvern sitting deep and frustrating the Supernova attack before springing counter attacks of their own.
Two such counters were converted by Michael Stewart and Kristian Emmanuel in the 20th and the 25th minutes respectively to turn the game on its head. Down 1-2 with less than two minutes remaining Supernova pressed high, Shakeem Fausette deflected a pass from Malvern’s right back on to the sick of Assanah who sprung the counter attack before slipping the ball to Fausette for the finish. Immediately following the restart of play Kareem McKenzie intercepted a pass and slipped the ball to right forward Warren Williams before receiving the return pass and completing the miracle comeback.
