St Joseph strike six past Hound Dogs under the rain

St Joseph were not to have the easiest of days this Sunday as they faced bottom-of-the-league Hound Dogs. However, the current league leaders demonstrated why they remain favourites for the title, turning a frustrating first half into a five-goal second-half spree, with the weather playing its part as a third factor influencing the contest.

The first half, although dominated by St Joseph with countless scoring opportunities, proved frustrating. It was not until the 45th minute that Alvaro Reyes broke the deadlock, curling a well-struck free kick into the top corner to send St Joseph into the half-time break with the lead.

St Joseph did not take long to add their second after the restart. A rare Hound Dogs attack was quickly turned into a counter, with St Joseph breaking down the flank before a chipped ball from the touchline found its way into the centre of the goal, where it was tapped in with a header.

Sweeping rain and strong winds caused conditions on the pitch to worsen, leading officials to remove the young ball boys, who deserve praise for their efforts in increasingly extreme conditions.

Moments after the ball boys were withdrawn, St Joseph struck their third, with Alvaro Reyes adding his second of the match by receiving the ball inside the six-yard box and firing past the goalkeeper.

Hound Dogs, who showed some attacking intent between the goals and managed to limit St Joseph’s chances for periods, did not give up and continued to press forward.

However, as the match entered the 80th minute, substitute Peña made an immediate impact, turning a ball into the six-yard box past the goalkeeper at the near post. Just two minutes later, the same player added his second to make it 5-0.

St Joseph, who fielded a changed line-up that did not include either Jolley or Mascarenhas Olivero, instead pairing Pons and Santos, added a sixth goal in the closing seconds to walk away with a comfortable scoreline. This came despite a resilient, albeit outmatched, Hound Dogs side and severe weather conditions that threatened to postpone the match.