Jamaica wins city ‘B’ soccer title

It took a lot of Jamaicans to decide the PSAL ‘B’ city soccer title, won by Jamaica High School by a score of 5-2. First, there were the two teams - Jamaica and Hillcrest - native to the Queens neighborhood, their schools just six blocks apart. Second, there were the two players - Jamaica senior Dan Chevau Brown and sophomore Rori Georg Byrd - native to the island country of the same name, whose four combined goals made the difference on Sunday, November 9.
Byrd’s deciding strike came in the 58th minute when he controlled a long ball from midfield and broke past defenders near the outside of the penalty box. When he shifted to his right, Hillcrest’s goalkeeper bit, and Byrd shot the title-winning goal right into the middle of the net. Jamaica’s 3-2 lead would not be relinquished.
“I feel great,” Byrd said after the game, surrounded by teammates and clutching the league trophy. “We played great. We all support each other.”
Byrd’s other goal came in the 28th minute, not long after Hillcrest junior forward Nicholas Parbhudial started the scoring with a brilliant long-range shot into the upper-left corner of the net. Byrd responded with a powerful header off a corner kick that tied the score at 1-1.
“Rori’s like our forward, our engine,” said Brown, who has helped his teammate adjust during his first season in New York. “He’s the one who makes all the runs.”
Brown played hero too, solidifying the Beavers’ 3-2 lead in the second half with a one-touch shot that surprised the Hillcrest goalkeeper and coasted into the back of the net. He played goalie himself for the first half-hour of the contest, when regular keeper Trevor Paddy, a junior, was unable to produce his school ID card and could not enter the game until he found it. Brown, who gave up the Beavers’ first goal, said he offered to take Paddy’s place because it was “the captain thing to do.”
The Beavers’ title celebrations began in the right corner of their offensive end, and the location was fitting, because it had been the area where Jamaica’s attackers repeatedly broke through for shots on goal. More than once, Byrd outran a Hillcrest defender and took a hard shot from a high angle. More than once, a cross from the right side prompted a frantic clearance from the Hillcrest defense.
It was on the ends of the field that Jamaica proved superior, especially in the second half. While the Hawks won some midfield battles, their defense was no match for the speed of Brown and Byrd. Part of the disadvantage, no doubt, amounted to the loss of sophomore sweeper Andrew Huntington, who was in goal to replace the ankle-injured senior Celestino Garcia.
“When you have four guys playing defense, and you take one of them out, one by one it starts crumbling down,” said Hillcrest head coach Juan Asqui.
Moreover, Hillcrest’s attackers got few breaks - and they committed too many mental errors to deserve more.
With seven minutes remaining and the score at 4-2, senior midfielder Omar Edwards, maybe the Hawks’ greatest offensive threat, slowed down to protest the non-call of an apparent handball while the ball was still loose. A minute later, a big mess in front of the Jamaica goal featured a 20-second comedy of shots, deflections, blocks and saves. Hawks fans, out in large numbers on this day, were still reeling from the near miss when Brown put Jamaica up by one more with a strike on the opposite end.
Jamaica, to be sure, had its own moments of insecurity. Paddy was not the only one to be short an ID card - Byrd, too, was kept from entering the game for a half-hour. While he was away and Brown was still in goal, the disorganized Jamaica offense prompted about seven offside whistles.
Nevertheless, defense was the Beavers’ rock, so much so that Jamaica head coach Dave Soverall named senior sweeper Arsenio Elliott his player of the game.
“The same guy I give credit for winning this game is the same guy I chastised last year for losing the semifinal game,” he said, referring to the Beavers’ loss last year to Beach Channel.
Asqui, meanwhile, was not in the mood for chastising. He audibly told his players in their pre-game huddle “each one of you guys has something to be proud of.” Afterward, he told reporters, “A lot of fans came to cheer [Hillcrest] on. … I’m proud that we’re here at the big game.”
Jamaica, city semifinalist the last two years and division champion of the regular season, beat Hillcrest 2-0 in last year’s playoffs and was considered the favorite on Sunday. However, Hillcrest, which two years ago forfeited to Jamaica after winning with an ineligible player, emerged from third place with three playoff upsets, the most recent one requiring penalty kicks. They had never advanced past the quarterfinals.
“Next year should be our year to win it all. If not, we’re gonna keep trying,” Asqui said. “We’re here to stay.”