There was a lot at stake for the two combatants of the Caribbean Americas Soccer Association Super League Championship. The Fort Lauderdale Blazers, with three titles to their credit, were the club with the most wins in the 11 year history of CASA, and the Lauderdale Lions were seeking to be the first team to repeat as champions. It took a 7-6 shootout victory by the Lions to make history, after both teams battled to a 2-2 regulation tie at the Lauderhill Sports Complex.
Lions Coach Warren Blois and Blazers skipper Rayon Gayle helped their squads dispatch the regular season front runners, the Oakland Stars and Plantation FC, in the semifinals.
The Lions Ochando McKay struck first in the opening minutes of the championship for a 1-0 lead. The Blazers Carnell Learmond scored the equalizer from 20 yards out for the 1-1 tie. In the second half the Blazers took a 2-1 lead on a score by the CASA Golden Boot award winner Akeeba Marshal. Marshal recorded his league best 16th goal of the season. The Lions Damion McCarthy scored for the 2-2 tie to force a shootout.
Each team lined up their best five scorers and left the rest up to their respective goalkeepers. The Blazers Damion Harriot and the Lions Leslie Ayafor saw the first four scorers hit the back of the net. On the Blazers fifth attempt, Ayafor blocked the shot, setting up the heroics for teammate Andre Darby to score the winning tally and seal the championship.
Lions Coach Blois was ecstatic with the win and for Darby to notch the winning score.
“We couldn’t have written a script any better,” Blois said. “It’s ironic that the guy who once played for the Blazers (Darby) had a life threatening injury and everybody wrote him off and he ends up scoring the winning goal. All he wanted was a break and to have a chance and we took that chance and it paid off for us. We have rebuilt our youth programs and travel squads, so tell everybody to look out for the Lions. This is the Lions den.”
For the 27-year-old Ayafor, the fifth shootout attempt proved to be the charm. The former Farleigh Dickinson University forward was pressed into action when the Lions regular goalkeeper was hurt.
“I’m one of the crazier guys, so I stepped up to play goalie,” Ayafor said. “I was trying to keep a clear mind and I guessed right the first couple of times, but their kicks hit their mark. It came down to my teammates making their penalty shots and I knew I would get one and that’s all that matters. I’ve been part of this organization for eight years, so this is really big for me.”
CASA President Richard Campbell presented the trophy to the jubilant Lions club.
“This is a historic moment to have the first team since our start in 2004 to achieve back-to-back Super League championships,” Campbell said. “Both teams were pretty much at the same level and our league was very competitive. We’re going to raise the bar and we hope to make next season even better.”
