GK Foster leading the way for JPL semifinalists Waterhouse
While much of the praise will go to Waterhouse’s and the Wray and Nephew-sponsored Jamaica Premier League’s (JPL) joint leading goalscorer Javane Bryan, goalkeeper Kemar Foster has been a quiet pillar in his team’s play-off ambitions.
The Jamaica international has been one of the nation’s leading goalkeepers in recent years and he proved why he has earned such a reputation over both legs in the JPL quarterfinals against Tivoli Gardens.
Waterhouse defeated Tivoli 3-1 on aggregate where Foster made 10 saves across both legs of the tie and kept the league’s highest-scoring team frustrated in front of goal.
The win was especially important for Foster as Waterhouse were beaten twice by Tivoli in the regular season.
“It feels good,” he said. “It’s a long time we don’t get a win over Tivoli so it feels good and it’s good to get a clean sheet as well. It’s a lot of motivation for us for the next game.”
But despite the win, Foster said he was disappointed in the manner in which he conceded the lone goal in the quarterfinals.
In the second half of the first leg, Tivoli’s Rodico Wellington floated a free kick into the box where miscommunication between Foster and his defender Elvis Wilson allowed Lennox Russell to tap into an empty net.
Foster said after the mishap, it was important for him to step up his game in the second leg and ensure his team left with a clean sheet.
“Yes, I was very disappointed in how we conceded that goal. It was a mishap between me and my defender and it really got me mad to put in the work in the training session to come out and perform for the team.
“As long as I come out there and try to perform for the team, then the players will see it and it’ll lift their spirits to fight for the team and they did just that,” Foster said.
Waterhouse now face a challenging semifinal date against the defending champions Mount Pleasant. While Foster will be reunited with familiar faces, he said he is not focused on any particular attacker in the Mount Pleasant squad.
“To be honest, I don’t really speak about my colleagues in that manner, I just go out there and perform each and every day. If we do speak, it’s about us wanting to having a good game. We’re close friends so we just go out there and perform,” the 31 year-old
goalkeeper said.