MIRAMAR – FC Internaxionale upset heavily favored Galaxy FC on Sunday to capture the 2008 Miramar Premier Soccer League K/O Championship sponsored by Jamaica National Money Transfer. Galaxy were gunning to win the title in their first year of involvement in the league after topping the regular season standings and disposing of Juventus and Norland in the playoffs. Inter arrived at the final after wins over Unity FC and two-time finalists Thunderbolts FC.
The first half was a cagey affair with Inter seeking to contain Galaxy’s dangerous attacking outside midfielders and Inter’s top goal-scorer Horace Howell often demanding extra attention from Galaxy’s back-4. It was Inter that would take a surprising lead mid-way through the half courtesy of a brilliant bit of interchange between strikers Gary Williams and Howell.
Williams maneuvered his way past two defenders on the right, squared to Howell who made a return pass for Williams to slot home for 1-0. When Howell scored a deserved goal a few minutes later, Inter had a 2-0 halftime lead and were within sight of victory.
Galaxy were however in no mood to give up and brought the game to life early in the second half when striker Patrick Anderson was tripped in the area and captain Chris Spence made no mistake from the spot. Inter regained their two goal lead when midfielder Andre Forbes hammered a free kick past the Galaxy goalkeeper but the industrious Anderson again halved the margin when he headed home from just inside the box to make the score 3-2 setting up a tension-filled last fifteen minutes. However when Howell was hacked down by Don Parsons a few minutes later when a goal looked sure to result and was given his marching orders the writing appeared to be on the wall.
The Inter defense, expertly marshaled by captain Dwight Stephens held on enabling his team to attain their first hold on the trophy. Winning Coach Carey James saw the victory as “just reward for the players sticking to the game-plan for 90 minutes.”
