For the second consecutive year, Guyana’s Chase Academic Foundation emerged victorious against Trinidad’s St Benedict’s College in a heart-stopping penalty shootout finale at the KFC Goodwill International Under-18 School Football Tournament. The championship match, held on December 21 at Georgetown’s Ministry of Education Grounds, concluded with a 5-4 penalty victory for the defending champions after both regulation and extra time failed to break a goalless deadlock.
The dramatic shootout marked a repeat of the 2024 final where Chase Academy similarly prevailed 8-7 on penalties after another scoreless draw. This sixth edition of the international youth tournament saw the “La Romaine Lions” from St Benedict’s College securing their fourth consecutive runner-up finish in the competition, having previously fallen to Jamaica’s Clarendon College in 2023 and DC Caesar Fox Secondary School in 2022.
In the semifinals played on December 19, Chase Academy demonstrated dominant form with a commanding 5-0 victory over Suriname’s Nikiere Technical School. Meanwhile, St Benedict’s advanced to the final with a 2-0 win against Jamaica’s Kingston College, powered by a spectacular first-half brace from defender Ruben Phillip. The left-footed full-back opened scoring with a 23-yard free kick that penetrated the defensive wall, followed by a stunning long-range strike from an elaborate left-side buildup.
Kingston College redeemed themselves in the third-place playoff, delivering a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Nikiere Technical School. Individual honors saw Chase Academy’s Bryon Wharton claiming the Golden Boot award, while teammate Flavio LaRose secured Best Goalkeeper honors for the second straight year. Tournament MVP Malcom Hendricks received a career-changing prize: a three-month training opportunity with Brazilian professional club Athletico Paranaense.