By S. SiaphaMulbah
In a match considered by many football fans as a Gardnersville derby on Wednesday evening, the Shipping Boys LISCR Football Club took out Gardnersville Football Club from the Quarter finals of the 2023 Liberia Football Association Orange Cup.
In the showpiece which settled to a one-all draw after full time regularities on March 22, 2023 at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in Monrovia; the Shipping Boys were certain to celebrate their advancement to the Semifinal stage with one out of five post-match penalties missed by a player of Gardnersville.
In the 28th minute, a goal scored by Ishmael Dombuyah set a path difference between the two sides to determine a one-nil lead for LISCR as the score for the first 45 minutes of play.
From recess, the second division side Gardnersville FC based on reported motivational remarks in the dressing room made a come-back with a chase at the back of the upper club’s defense getting a finishing header from sticker Theo Williams blazing the momentum of the game.
However, the Shipping Boys in defense of the LFA Cup title made the best use of the five post-match penalties scoring five goals to qualify for the quarterfinal stage of the competition.
LISCR is being drawn in the big four stage with Freeport FC.
In the first match of the quarterfinal stage during the midweek fixture witnessed Muscat suffer two first half goals that escorted them out against Freeport Football Club.
Prince Gbeh of Freeport scored the fastest goal so-far in the race with less than 50 seconds of play on his credit from the start of the match while Darius Johnson closed the first half with the final goal.
In the current Liberia Football Association National First Division league, Freeport FC is just a single point away from the relegation zone and will be up against LISCR FC in the next stage of the Orange Cup.
With LISCR being the defending holders of the Patrol Trade Cup, which has now changed to the Orange Cup, the Shipping Boys are also the current First Division league-leaders with four points clear over the league table.
The two first division clubs LISCR and Freeport last meetings were in the first and second legs of the ongoing first division league where Freeport has conceded four goals with two defeats.
LISCR won the first leg at home one-nil and the second leg away three-nil over Freeport and they are again expected to meet in two leg semifinals on Wednesday March 29 and Thursday April 6, 2023.
