The island’s football club, Terror Squad, etched their name in history on Saturday, August 24th, by clinching the 2024 National Amateur Interdistrict Championship (NAIC) with a resounding 5-1 triumph over EZ Griga Conquerors. The showdown at the Ambergris Stadium, witnessed by a packed house, showcased the island boys’ football prowess.
The NAIC’s finals’ opening ceremony saw talented island singer Chelsy Castro singing the National Anthem. Afterward, the game kicked off. Taking advantage of their home field, Terror Squad delivered a dominant performance that led to their historic national tournament win. The island squad used an offensive strategy, and Victor Morales scored the first goal in the third minute of the first half. Then in the 10th minute, Kaeyden Bowen netted the second goal and then the third one with a clean header in the 37th minute. EZ Griga Conquerors tried their best to get past Terror Squad’s defense but made little progress. Before the first half of the game ended, Terror Squad’s Devon Makin netted the fourth goal during injury time.
Despite the daunting 4-0 score, EZ Griga Conquerors returned in the second half with renewed determination, launching several close attempts on Terror Squad’s goal area. Their resilience was commendable, but they were unable to break through. Terror Squad regained control of the game, and Kenny Wagner’s goal in the 71st minute sealed the home team’s victory, sparking loud cheers from the Ambergris Caye stadium seats.
As the game approached its end, it was interrupted by a brief power outage. When the electricity was restored, a penalty was called for the visiting team. Terror Squad’s goalkeeper, Isaul Coba, blocked the penalty shot. However, the referee called a foul and granted EZ Griga Conquerors the penalty kick a second time. Norman Sutherland scored the lone goal for the Conquerors during injury time. At the end of the long whistle, Terror Squad was declared the champions with a crushing 5-1 final game score. The resounding victory of the home team was opposite to the goalless game in the first leg of the finals held in Dangriga Town on August 17th.
The closing ceremony saw the distribution of individual awards and trophies. The first prize, Golden Boot, went to Jahiem Mena of Toledo’s Legends FC for scoring 11 goals throughout the tournament. Best Goalkeeper award went to Terror Squad’s Isaul Coba, and the Golden Ball for the Most Valuable Player award went to Kaeyden Shaay Bowen. Afterward, the referees, players, and the respective teams received medals and their trophies.
The Football Federation of Belize organizer thanked each team for participating and making this year’s NAIC a success. They invited the teams to prepare for the next season in 2025.
