Provo Eagles are FortisTCI Elite Youth Champions

The Provo Eagles have been crowned champions of the FortisTCI-sponsored Elite Under 17 Male Youth League after carving out a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Provo Lions at the TCIFA Academy Field on Venetian Road in Providenciales, on Saturday.

Aisha Laporte (left), CFO of FortisTCI and Drani Saunders, TCIFA member (right) with the victorious Provo Lions Team

Carson Greatrex was the hero for the Eagles, netting both goals, to ensure the team’s bagging of all three points.

Playing before a sizable crowd, which included a host of representatives from sponsors FORTIS, Deputy Premier Hon. E. Jay Saunders and Member of Parliament for Wheeland Hon. Kyle Knowles, it was the Eagles who first opened their account through Greatrex.

However, undaunted, the Lions stormed back to level the contest through Nicolas Lewin and were showing signs of taking full glory. However, the Eagles withstood the countless attacks from their opponents, before breaking the deadlock to lift the trophy.

Despite his team placing second place, the Lions’ Louis Sancho took home both the top goal-scorer and Tournament MVP Awards. Sancho topped the goal-scoring table with 18 goals.

Samuel Harvey of the Jaguars was named Top Goalkeeper for the tournament.

There were also team MVP Awards. It was Davidson Meneide for the Dynamos; Omari Lightbourne for the Dolphins; Marco Williams for the Mariners; Mike Legerme for the Jaguars, Louis Sancho for the Lions, Callum Park for the Eagles and Peter St. Fleur for the Falcons.

In the first of the three games played, the Grand Turk Dynamos defeated the South Caicos Mariners by a 6-2 margin. In the second game, the Provo Jaguars won 3-2 on penalties over the Provo Falcons, after a 3-3 score-line at the end of regulation time. That score-line handed the Jaguars third place overall in the competition.

Andrew Edwards, Technical Director for the TCIFA, had high praises for the budding players, telling of the marked improvements he saw throughout the tournament.

He said 15 rounds of games provided much development for the boys. He said 59 games were played, with seven being forfeited. Two hundred and eighty-one goals were scored throughout, with the Provo Lions and the Provo Falcons netting an identical 53 goals.

“We could say that we had a pretty disciplined competition, with 13 yellow cards being shown and five red cards. Of course, we would have preferred to have none of that, but 13 and five, after a total of 59 games, is remarkable,” Coach Edwards said.

He said 61 players from all the competing teams were on the scoresheet.

The team adjudged to have the best defensive record was the Provo Jaguars, whose defense was breached only 15 times.

One hundred and twenty-seven players from across the Turks and Caicos Islands took part in the month-long tournament, with four teams from Providenciales – the Provo Eagles, the Provo Jaguars, the Provo Lions and the Provo Falcons; two teams from the country’s capital Grand Turk – the Grand Turk Dynamos and the Grand Turk Dolphins; one representing Middle and North Caicos – the North Caicos Seals and one representing South Caicos – the South Caicos Mariners.

Aisha Laporte, FortisTCI’s CFO, representing CEO and President Ruth Forbes, said her company was committed to sports development in the Turks and Caicos, and as such, reaffirmed her company’s commitment to the Elite Male Youth League for another two years.

“All of us at FortisTCI are very proud of this league, and are committed to the partnership with the TCIFA, which has made this (tournament partnership) possible. We are especially pleased at the level of competition that this tournament gives to you, our young footballers from all across our family islands. It means so much to us, that players from Grand Turk, South Caicos, Middle and North Caicos could be here in Providenciales, week after week.

“We believe in inclusion and opportunity for all of you, and we hope that over these past eight weeks of competition you have had fun and your love for the game has grown,” she said.

She reminded the audience that since forging a partnership with the TCIFA in 2017, FortisTCI’s goals continue to be the development of the youth across the country.

Member of the TCIFA, Drani Saunders, who brought greetings on behalf of TCIFA President, Sonia Fulford-Missick, thanked FortisTCI, “For being there for the youth.”

She said the energy company’s support of the TCIFA continues to make a positive impact on youth football throughout the country.