Montego Bay United has surged back to the top of the Jamaica Premier League standings following a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Treasure Beach FC on Sunday. The crucial match, held at St Elizabeth Technical Sports Complex in Santa Cruz, marked Montego Bay’s sixth consecutive triumph over the newly promoted side this season.
With this win, Montego Bay now sits at 29 points, narrowly edging past previous league leaders Racing United who stumbled with a scoreless draw against Waterhouse FC at a rain-affected Ferdie Neita Park. The championship race has intensified as teams navigate challenging field conditions and tight competition.
In other Sunday fixtures, Molynes United and Mount Pleasant FA played to a 0-0 stalemate—their second drawn encounter this season. Chapelton Maroons continued their impressive form with a 2-1 victory over Harbour View FC, securing consecutive wins and climbing to sixth position with 18 points. Meanwhile, the scheduled match between Dunbeholden FC and Spanish Town Police FC was postponed due to waterlogged pitch conditions at Dunbeholden Sports Complex.
Montego Bay’s offensive breakthrough came after two previous scoreless matches, ending a 195-minute goal drought dating back to December 15. Dwight Merrick opened the scoring in the seventh minute, capitalizing on a weak clearance from Treasure Beach goalkeeper Mowey Morgan by slotting home from six yards. Deonjay Brown extended the advantage in the 22nd minute with a close-range finish after defensive miscues from the hosts. Though Tommy Lawrence pulled one back for Treasure Beach in the 38th minute, the home side couldn’t convert several promising opportunities to equalize.
At Turner Field in Clarendon, Chapelton Maroons demonstrated resilience by overcoming a missed first-half penalty to defeat Harbour View for the second time this season. Zhaine Pinnock’s early third-minute strike was later canceled out by Rohan Brown’s 65th-minute equalizer, but Sean Leighton’s dramatic 85th-minute winner secured three valuable points for the ascending Chapelton side.