Cavalier dismissed Arnett Gardens 3-0 at the Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence on the University of the West Indies (UWI) compound on Saturday (July 17) to move to second in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) points standing.

Shaniel Thomas scored a brace in the 59th and 79th minute, with St Lucian Melvin Doxily netting in the 63rd as Cavalier secured their second win in four matches to be on seven points, one behind leaders Habour View FC and one ahead of third-placed defending champions Portmore United.

Arnett Gardens remained eighth in the standings, as they have now lost two out of their last three matches and are on three points.

In the first half of the match, Arnett Gardens stormed forward and created some scoring opportunities, but failed to convert through faulty finishes and two excellent saves from Cavalier’s goalkeeper Jeadine White.

Cavalier rebounded in the second stanza and found the back of the net within 18 minutes, when Ronaldo Webster, from a quick counter, sprinted down the right flank from the half-line and crossed inside from the edge of the 18-yard box, for Thomas to slide the ball past goalkeeper Chadeem Rodriques.

Doxily increased their lead with an excellent overhead kick after Arnett Gardens struggled to clear a corner and Thomas got a fortuitous goal, when Dwayne Atkinson’s shot on the left of the penalty area, beat goalkeeper Rodriques and rebounded off the post to him, in front of goal.

Cavalier’s assistant coach, Everdean Scarlett, believes the changes that were implemented at halftime, secured the win.

“The first half I think Arnett had the better of us and at halftime, we went in and we made some changes and we decided that we were going to come out and press Arnett more, get into the spaces and run them.

“We knew that Arnett Gardens always going to come and try to press us so we planned to sit deep and wait for the openings, play some ball over the top and it worked exactly for us this game,” Scarlett said.

According to Arnett Gardens’ coach Alex Thomas, his young charges’ second half performance gifted Cavalier the goals and all three points.

“We have to learn. Football is played in both halves, first and second halves. We played a wonderful first half, second half we came out flat and gave up simple goals. We have to learn they are young and it’s a rebuilding process so we have to keep working,” Thomas said.