The Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) Premier League kicked off Friday (25 September) evening at the Annex with Elite SC getting a clean sheet victory over Roma after a penalty early in the first half.
The highly competitive game was decided in the 28th minute after Elite’s Jermaine Wilson scored a penalty following a reckless tackle in the box. The game would remain competitive with Roma keeping an unbreakable defense; giving Elite no room to extend their lead while rallying through the last whistle.
The game featured several yellow cards being issued to both teams. However, it was Elite’s Jah-dean Andra Alexander who received his second yellow card during the game resulting to red.
“We’re thankful for three points tonight,” said Elite’s head coach Gregory Ebanks. “We are going to go back to the drawing boards and see how we can provide the tactical training to better our performance.”
“Within the last 20 to 25 minutes, Roma showed their calmness and confidence in controlling the game. Due to the fact that we have young legs, we sort of complemented that so in that concept, we are lacking experience.”
Former longtime Elite striker Christopher Reeves left the squad to join Latinos FC during the transfer window earlier this month. Ebanks said the departure of Reeves, has left his team in shambles.
“Evidently, for three seasons he was the leading goal scorer,” said Ebanks. “Chris is a very competitive person; competitive in heading, competitive in shooting, his strength and his ability to maneuvering the ball around the defenders very constructively. So losing Chris really hurt our team offensively because I know if we had Chris tonight, he wouldn’t have walked off the field without hitting the post or finding the back of the net.”
Elite has always kept their reputation of being a top team in the CIFA league over the years; even finishing 3rd place last season. That said, the team has not won the league in nearly 10 years. Ebanks says while winning the 2020-2021 league isn’t impossible, his focus is elsewhere.
“It’s a challenge,” said Ebanks. “You know David slayed Goliath but our ultimate goal is to try and build. You know winning the league is one thing but I think our primary focus is to avoid relegation.”
CIFA Premier League round 1 results
| Elite SC | 1 | Roma United SC | 0 |
| Academy SC | 2 | George Town SC | 0 |
| Scholars ISC | 5 | Future SC | 1 |
| Latinos FC | 3 | East End United SC | 1 |
| Bodden Town FC | 1 | Sunset FC | 0 |
Cay 3 Sports 