By S. Siapha Mulbah
Since their victory in the 2020/2021 final of the National County Sports Meet, which earned them their only trophy in the history of the competition, Lofa County has suffered back-to-back final defeats in the last two years.
The County Meet finals have not favored the Wologisi Boys in the last two years. They lost their last two trophy-winning opportunities against former champions, Nimba County, and current champions, River Gee County.
In the 2022/2023 final, Lofa County, after maintaining an incredible unbeaten record from the group stage, lost to Nimba County 3-2 on January 15, 2023 at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex.
That victory confirmed Nimba County as the highest carrier of the tournament, having lifted it six times, while Lofa was seeking its second trophy. The Boys from Voinjama were sent back for better preparation. They reappeared at the showpiece just a year later in the most recent edition, with more zest to lift the title, but were edged on penalties by River Gee County.
Sunday, May 5, 2024 was Lofa County’s second consecutive final, and third final in less than five years, ending in disappointment again as River Gee won its first ever trophy.
The Fishtown team emerged as the team of the season and beat Lofa County in the final of the delayed edition of the competition in a post-match penalty shootout after a two-all draw.
The meeting gained momentum with a show of regional support for River Gee, while the Lofa population settled the green colors around the stadium to set up a thrilling match.
The mentality of River Gee County was to have their name recorded in the County Meet record after they failed in 2019 to lift the trophy against Bomi County. Lofa, on the other hand, was on a mission to increase its title wins, and the different mentalities were enough to raise suspense till the end of the entire match.
On 11 minutes of the 2023/2024 final, Blamo Weah, who won the Golden Shoe of the competition, found the first goal for River Gee to draw first blood against Lofa. The coordination between Daniel Toe and the goal scorer was timely but James Tarpeh got the equalizer for Lofa in the 30th minute.
Lofa came from behind to lead 2-1, with Tarpeh grabbing his second goal in the 66th minute. Youngster Jusu Dukuly won more admiration for his career when he resurrected River Gee with a classical header into the back of the net to restore parity on 89 minutes.
The penalty shootout had two shots missed by Lofa County while the boys from Fish Town dispatched all of their first four shots to earn them their first trophy at the County Meet.
