Wolves 4 Vasco 1

Two former winners went head to head in the preliminary round of the Shield Trophy with five-time winners Wolves romping to victory at Bernard Park on Sunday.

All four goals came in the first half, with Dane Simmons leading the Hermitage Road pack with a brace and long-range efforts from Sergio Richardson and Andrew Samuels adding to the score. Kevin Arruda scored the lone Vasco goal just before half-time.

“Wolves have a history in this Trophy so we are looking to win it again,” Wolves coach Torry Davis said.

“Today was a great team effort and I finally got what I wanted from our training sessions. I would also like to give recognition to Dane Simmons who played a very important role in the team today.”

Wolves scored in the opening minutes when Simmons beat the offside trap from a Lamelle Paynter through ball to slot past a planted Vasco goalkeeper Kamran Harvey.

Vasco nearly scored minutes later but a diagonal cross beat the outstretched boots of Rychus Symonds and Andre Furtado before Wolves goalkeeper Reid Trott smothered the ball.

Player-coach Leo Burgess provided an inch-perfect cross but Miguel Falcao blasted over from a good position as Vasco searched for an equaliser but it was Wolves who doubled their lead when Sergio Richardson spotted Harvey off his line and sent a long-range effort sailed over the backpedaling goalkeeper’s head.

Harvey failed to learn his lesson as just moments later Harvey ventured out of his box again and Samuels chipped a long-range effort from just over the halfway line, which landed in the roof of the net.

Simmons would close out the Wolves scoring when his close-range header from a Shawn James cross beat Harvey for pace.

Despite the deficit, Vasco continued to knock the ball around with Burgess and Falcao stringing passes together in search of an opening goal and they got their reward when they won possession of the ball deep in the Wolves territory and Kevin Arruda lobbed the advancing Trott to put Vasco on the scoresheet.

Both teams settled down to play out the second half without any goals and the closest the two sides came to adding to the score was when Arruda beat the goalkeeper to a through ball only to hit the side-netting, while Wolves substitute Damani Joel volleyed a Simmons cross that ricocheted off the upright before coming back into play.

Scorers:

Wolves: Simmons 6, 22, Richardson 15, Samuels 19

Vasco: Arruda 41

TEAMS

Wolves (4-2-3-1): R Trott 6 — S James 6 (sub: K Thompson, 75min), Z Rubaine 6, A Brangman 6, L Paynter 6 — A Samuels 6, D Bothelo 6 — D Simmons 8, S Richardson 7 (sub: M Mello Cann, 60 5), A Butterfield 5 (sub: M McGowan, 68 5) — T Outerbridge 5 (sub: D Joel, 60 5). Substitutes not used: G Minors, D Woolridge, K Brangman. Booked: Richardson, A Brangman, Simmons, Joel.

Vasco (4-1-4-1): K Harvey 5 — S Grob 5, C Maule 6, K Place 5 (sub: C Simmonds, 68 5), R McDowell 5 — R Symonds 5 — D Crockwell 6 (sub: M Amaral, 84), L Burgess 6, M Falcao 6, K Arruda 6 — A Furtado 5 (sub: T Pimental, 84). Substitutes not used: C Lucian, M Duarte, J Taveras. Booked: Falcao.

Referee: R Douglas.