KINGSTON, Jamaica — Cavalier FC, the reigning Jamaica Premier League champions, moved within striking distance of claiming the prestigious CONCACAF Caribbean Cup title with a gritty 1-0 victory over the Dominican Republic’s Cibao FC in the first-leg showdown at the National Stadium on Tuesday night.
The lone goal came from the unstoppable Shaquille Stein in the 20th minute, ending Cibao’s unbeaten streak in this year’s competition and sending a message of intent to their opponents ahead of the decisive second leg.
Head Coach Rudolph Speid hailed his team’s disciplined performance, emphasizing their ability to fulfill key objectives despite a narrower margin than desired.
Achieving mission objectives
“There were a number of objectives we had, and one of them was not to concede due to the away goal rule—we achieved that,” Speid said post-match. “Another was to get a lead. While it wasn’t as big a lead as we wanted, I’ll take this result over any other scoreline.”
Cavalier’s goalkeeper, Vino Barclett, was a wall in the second half, producing several crucial saves to maintain the slim advantage and set the stage for a dramatic finale in Santiago next week.
Missing their star playmaker
Playmaker Dwayne “Busy” Atkinson, who has been Cavalier’s talisman this season with nine goals and 10 assists, played only 45 minutes due to injury concerns. However, he made his presence felt, delivering the assist for Stein’s decisive goal.
“We probably should have gotten another goal in the first half because we were pressing so hard,” Speid noted. “Once Atkinson wasn’t at his best and we pulled him, we lost a lot of our creativity. Everyone knows how productive he is—not just for us but for Jamaica overall. He was a big miss.”
Speid expressed confidence in Atkinson’s availability for the second leg, stating, “He’ll be ready; there’s nothing seriously wrong. We’ll fix him up, and he’ll give us the impact we need.”
Cibao FC still optimistic
Cibao FC’s Head Coach, Scheldeur Sainvilus, lauded Cavalier’s performance but remained optimistic about his team’s chances of overturning the deficit.
“If we can replicate how we played in the second half, we can win the game,” Sainvilus asserted. “Cavalier has very fast players, so we need to focus on keeping possession and avoiding turnovers during our attacks. If we don’t lose the ball, we’ll have a great chance.”
Looking ahead to the decisive leg
While Cibao remains hopeful, Speid exuded confidence in Cavalier’s ability to deliver on foreign soil. “We’re not just a team that scores at home. We’ve proven we can score anywhere,” he said. “We’re not aiming to draw; we’re going there to win.”
The second-leg decider will take place next Tuesday at the Cibao FC Stadium in Santiago.
