IT TOOK 60 MINUTES OF REGULATION, 10 MINUTES OF OVERTIME, AND FOUR ROUNDS OF SHOOTOUTS TO CROWN A LINDO’S ISL CHAMPION SATURDAY NIGHT AT NATIONAL STADIUM.

OTTIS MINORS’ SHOT BEAT ARSENAL GK NIGEL BURGESS AND THE STORM TEAM SWAMPED MINORS AND CELEBRATED ANOTHER LINDO’S ISL CHAMPIONSHIP.

THIS GAME WAS ONE FOR THE AGES. THE ARSENAL WAS DOMINATED BY THE STORM IN LAST YEAR’S SEMIFINAL BUT THIS YEAR SHOWED RIGHT AWAY THAT THEY WERE HERE TO PLAY. IJAHMON MALLORY BLISTERED A RESTART PAST JASON SIMONS IN THE 10^TH MINUTE OF THE FIRST QUARTER TO GIVE ARSENAL THE LEAD. THREE MINUTES LATER RALPH BEAN FINISHED A BEAUTIFUL CECOY ROBINSON SETUP AND FOR THE SECOND TIME IN TWO GAMES THE STORM FOUND THEMSELVES BEHIND 2-0. JUST LIKE THURSDAY NIGHT THE STORM WOULD ANSWER BACK. DOMICO CODDINGTON CONVERTED A 2-1 OPPORTUNITY ON AN ASSIST FROM KWAME STEEDE TO CUT THE LEAD IN HALF IN THE SECOND QUARTER. THE ARSENAL ANSWERED RIGHT BACK SECONDS LATER. FABIAN FRANKSON OUTMUSCLED A STORM DEFENDER AND SET UP CECOY ROBINSON FOR A 3-1 ARSENAL LEAD. CODDINGTON TOOK THE GAME INTO HIS OWN HANDS LATER IN THE QUARTER. FIRST HE SCORED AFTER RECEIVING A KICKIN DRIBBLING TO THE TOP OF THE BOX AND BEATING ARSENAL GK JASON SMITH. FIVE MINUTES LATER IT WAS CODDINGTON AGAIN USING HIS SPEED TO BEAT HIS DEFENDER AND SCORE TO TIE THE GAME 3-3. MICHAEL PARSONS WOULD GIVE THE ARSENAL THE LEAD BACK JUST SECONDS BEFORE THE HALF. PARSONS SETTLED THE BALL IN THE MIDFIELD TURNED AND RIFLED A SHOT PAST STORM GK DANIEL ADAMS TO RESTORE THE LEAD 4-3 AT THE HALF. FABIAN FRANKSON SCORED TWO MINUTES INTO THE THIRD QUARTER AND IT SEEMED LIKE THE ARSENAL WAS ON TARGET FOR THEIR FIRST EVER LINDOS ISL CHAMPIONSHIP, BUT THE ARSENAL WOULD NOT SCORE AGAIN. THE STORM STARTED THEIR COMEBACK 11 MINUTES INTO THE THIRD QUARTER. KWAME STEEDE FOUND THE BACK OF THE NET TO MAKE IT 5-4 AFTER THREE QUARTERS. TWO MINUTES INTO THE FOURTH CODDINGTON SET UP STEEDE FOR THE EQUALIZER AND IT WAS 5-5. BOTH TEAMS HAD GREAT CHANCES DOWN THE STRETCH BUT NEITHER TEAM COULD SCORE AND WE WENT INTO OVERTIME. THE STORM AND ARSENAL HAD GREAT CHANCES IN THE EXTRA SESSION. KWAME STEEDE MISSED THE FAR POST TWICE, AND DOMICO CODDINGTON SENT A GREAT CHANCE SAILING OVER THE BAR.STORM GK JASON SIMONS STONED BEAN, AND ROBINSON. THEN WITH JUST UNDER TWO MINUTES TO GO STEEDE BROKE DOWN THE RIGHT SIDE. HE RIFLED A SHOT TOWARDS GOAL THAT ARSENAL GK NIGEL BURGESS SAVED WITH HIS LEGS AND THEN SMOTHERED THE REBOUND. THAT SENT THE GAME TO THE FIRST EVER LINDOS ISL SHOOTOUT.

CORNELL CASTLE STARTED THE SHOOTOUT BY BEATING SIMONS. DOMICO CODDINGTON THEN RETURNED THE FAVOR BEATING BURGESS TO SEND IT TO THE SECOND ROUND.

FABIEN FRANKSON WAS DENIED BY SIMONS AND GAVE KWAME STEEDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO WIN IT FOR STORM. STEEDE BEAT BURGESS BUT DID NOT SCORE IN THE REQUIRED FIVE SECONDS SO IT WENT TO ROUND THREE. RALPH BEAN JR. WAS DENIED BY SIMONS, THEN BURGESS REACHED OUT AND DEFLECTED KEVIN LAMBE’S SHOT JUST WIDE. ON TO ROUND NUMBER FOUR. CECOY ROBINSON BEAT SIMONS BUT HIS SHOT SAILED OVER THE CROSSBAR. NEXT UP WAS OTTIS MINORS. MINORS DRIBBLED IN, MOVED TO HIS LEFT AND TUCKED A SHOT INTO THE CORNER OF THE NET TO GIVE THE STORM THE 6-5 SHOOTOUT VICTORY.

NOTES:

DOMICO CODDINGTON LED ALL SCORERS IN THE PLAYOFFS WITH NINE GOALS. CECOY ROBINSON WAS SECOND WITH EIGHT.

THE UNDER EIGHT ALL STARS PLAYED BEFORE THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. THE WEST SQUAD DEFEATED THE EAST SQUAD 4-1. JAHKEM IRIS AND SCOTT REDMOND EACH SCORED TWO GOALS FOR THE WEST. DIEGO RICHARDSON SCORED FOR THE EAST.

LINDOS ISL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SCORING SUMMARY:

1^ST QUARTER

ARSENAL          IJAHMON MALLORY          10^TH MINUTE    1-0 ARS

ARSENAL         RALPH BEAN JR.                  13^TH MINUTE    2-0 ARS

2^ND QUARTER

STORM               DOMICO CODDINGTON     2^ND MINUTE     2-1 ARS

ARSENAL          CECOY ROBINSON              3^RD MINUTE     3-1 ARS

STORM               DOMICO CODDINGTON     9^TH MINUTE     3-2 ARS

STORM               DOMICO CODDINGTON   14^TH MINUTE     3-3 TIE

ARSENAL          MICHAEL PARSONS          14^TH MINUTE     4-3 ARS

3^RD QUARTER

ARSENAL          FABIEN FRANKSON            2^ND MINUTE     5-3 ARS

STORM              KWAME STEEDE                11^TH MINUTE     5-4 ARS

4^TH QUARTER

STORM              KWAME STEEDE                 2^ND MINUTE     5-5 TIE

OVERTIME

NO SCORING

SHOOTOUT

ROUND #1

CORNELL CASTLE             GOAL

DOMICO CODDINGTON    GOAL

ROUND #2

FABIAN FRANKSON          SIMONS SAVE

KWAME STEEDE                5 SECOND VIOLATION

ROUND #3

RALPH BEAN JR.                SIMONS SAVE

KEVIN LAMBE                    BURGESS SAVE

ROUND #4

CECOY ROBINSON             SHOT WIDE

OTTIS MINORS                    GOAL

STORM WINS 6-5

LINDOS ISL CHAMPIONSHIP ROSTERS:

STORM                                ARSENAL

1 JASON SIMONS                           1 JASON SMITH

2 DMITRI BUTTERFIELD             1  NIGEL BURGESS

5 JAMES CURRIE                           5 IJAHMON MALLORY

9 GRANT MCKELLAR                  6 DAZ SIMONS

10 DOMICO CODDINGTON         8 MICHAEL PARSONS

11 CHRIS CAISEY                          9 PIERRE SMITH

14 OTTIS MINORS                        10 CECOY ROBINSON

15 KEVIN LAMBE                         11 FABIAN FRANKSON

16 COREY DOWLING                   13 HOPDE BURROWS

17 KWAME STEEDE                     15 CORNELL CASTLE JR.

31 DANIEL ADAMS                       16 KEITH MARTINS

----------------------------                     17 RALPH BEAN JR.