PHC advanced to the semi-finals of the PDL Festive Tournament after beating neighbours Southampton Rangers 4-2 on penalties at BFA Field on Saturday.

Both teams were deadlocked at 2-2 after 90 minutes but Keedai Astwood’s second equaliser for Rangers five minutes into injury-time sent the match into a penalty shoot-out.

PHC, fielding all under 23 players, many of whom are college students, were not upstaged by Rangers who named six overage players, including first team captain Vernon Perinchief, McQuinn Burch and Jamel Hill.

PHC took the lead from the penalty spot in the 28th minute when Casey Castle was fouled by Hill as he dribbled through. Ryan Hassell, one of six overseas college students in the Zebras line-up, converted from the spot.

Coach Maurice Lowe’s half-time talk produced the desired result as Rangers came out with more purpose with Astwood smashing a shot against the upright within two minutes and defender McKario Burch powering a free header wide of the far post.

Rangers finally got their reward in the 61st minute when a through ball by Donte Brangman sent Jahkai Dyer through to slip the ball past goalkeeper Shaquille Trott.

Moments later Trott turned a shot from Brangman away for a corner as Rangers kept on the pressure. From the corner Burch’s header was cleared off the line. Castle had another hand in the second PHC goal in the 89th minute when he was again fouled, this time by full back Dajon Richazrdson and Lightbourne converted the penalty.

PHC thought they had won the game in regulation but one more attack by Rangers changed all that when Astwood raced on to a through ball and kept his calm before blasting his shot into the far corner from an angle.

Penalties decided the match 4-2 for PHC with Naeem Griffith scoring the winning penalty.

“We’re trying to keep them together as a unit, obviously the first team is not in the tournament so we trying to get these guys to play for something,” PHC coach Robert Bean said. “Of the four [PDL] games we have used 16 children who are away at college.”

X-Roads made certain of their place in tonight’s semi-finals, with a 4-1 victory over the Somerset Trojans at BFA Field at the weekend.

They took a 3-0 lead into the second half with Akil Trott first on the scoresheet in the 18th minute before Tristen Daniels doubled the lead seven minutes later. Mackin McGowan added another in the 32nd minute.

Ronue Cann deflected a shot into his own net to make it 4-0 to X-Roads in the 51st minute before Adolphus Lambert pulled one back for the Trojans in the 67th minute when his shot from outside the box went through the hands of goalkeeper Jahdean Gibbons.