This past Saturday at the T. E. McField Sports Field (Annex Field), the youngsters from St. Ignatius Catholic ‘A’ defeated defending champions Cayman Prep ‘A’ 3-2 in an exciting sudden death penalty shootout to secure the 2019 CUC Primary Football League (PFL) Opening Rally title.

Under sunny skies and enduring very warm conditions, St. Ignatius ‘A’ and Cayman Prep ‘A’ battled for the coveted trophy in what was a very exciting finale and conclusion to a fabulous day of youth football.

In the final, with the score locked at 0-0 following the 12-minute regular time, both schools scored two of their three penalties during the first-phase of the penalty shootout. The pressure on the young players was unimaginable, but after St. Ignatius ‘A’ calmly slotted home their first sudden death penalty, their goalkeeper Charlie Macon came up huge as he saved Cayman Prep’s penalty to secure the title for his team mates and school.

With 15 teams from 12 schools competing in this year’s CUC PFL Opening Rally, the action was non- stop from beginning to end. Teams were divided into three groups of five with the three group winners, three second place finishers plus the two best third place finishers advancing to the quarter finals. Each team played the other four teams in their group.

When the dust settled finally settled, it was group winners St. Ignatius Catholic ‘A’, Prospect Primary and Cayman Prep ‘A’; second place finishers Red Bay Primary, Cayman Brac and George Town Primary; and the two best third-place finishers Triple C and Savannah Primary in the quarter finals.

As the afternoon heat intensified, St. Ignatius Catholic ‘A’ defeated George Town Primary 2-1, Cayman Prep ‘A’ squeezed by Savannah Primary 2-1 on penalties (0-0 after regulation time), Prospect Primary outlasted Red Bay Primary 4-3 (1-1 after regulation time) and Cayman Brac got past Triple C 1-0.

In the semi finals, St. Ignatius Catholic ‘A’ secured their place in the final with a last minute 1-0 win over Cayman Brac and Cayman Prep ‘A’ defeated Prospect Primary 2-0 in a rematch of the 2018 final.

In the third place playoff, Cayman Brac defeated Prospect Primary 3-1.

The Ronnie Roach Most Valuable Player award was presented to Liam Whiteside from St. Ignatius Catholic ‘A’, who expertly anchored the Catholic defence throughout the day and scored a penalty in the final.

The 2019 CUC PFL and Girls’ Primary Football league (GPFL) regular seasons begin this Saturday, September 28 at venues across Grand Cayman.