How does one tame a tiger? Queen’s Royal College clearly have the answer.

The ’Royalians’ fought back from two goals down for a 2-2 regulation time score against the St Anthony’s College ’Tigers’ at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, then closed out the North Zone semi-final with a 6-5 win on kicks at the penalty mark.

The win took QRC to the zonal final of Coca Cola InterCol next week, where they will face their oldest rivals, St Mary’s College after the ’Saints’ beat Fatima College 5-3, also on penalties after a 1-1 full time score in the second match of a doubleheader.

Yesterday’s semi was QRC’s third match of the season against the Tigers. Previously they enjoyed a 1-0 home win and a 0-0 away draw.

And yesterday, QRC held their nerves superbly to first nullify a first half 2-0 deficit, and then throughout the ensuing spotkick shootout to send St Anthony’s tumbling out of the competition.

Dave Long and Garvin Samaroo put the Westmoorings side ahead before the break. But ’Mr Dependable’ Dwayne Muckette, with a thunderous drive from distance and Akil Morris drew them level just after an hour had passed.

St Anthony’s had themselves to blame for not putting away the match in regulation time. They missed a host of sitters on either side of half-time, including in the dying minutes. QRC’s fighting spirit and composure took them the rest of the way.

At the penalty mark, both teams were clinical for their first five shots. But sudden death took its toll on St Anthony’s’ Shaquille Nesbit, his tame shot placed in the reach of goalkeeper Kareem Joseph’s long arms. He kept it out, and Keshorn Geelal buried his kick, prompting a bubbling band of QRC supporters to rush onto the field and engulf their heroes.

The first half was all ’Tigers’, and Long set the scoreboard in motion in just the sixth minute, latching on to a cross in the penalty area and thumping past Joseph for the 1-0 lead.

Later, Samaroo collected a long clearance, wove his way into the box, turned on two defenders and fired inside the far post.

That first half lead lasted little more than two minutes into the second period though, Muckette letting a 48th minute free kick fly from perhaps more than 25 metres, and it nestled just under the crossbar.

That put some bounce in QRC’s step, as they searched for the equaliser with some gusto. St Anthony’s nerves certainly told, as their neat inter-passing degenerated into long clearances, and shaky defending.

One failed clearance led to the equaliser, Morris slamming in a rebound for a 2-2 scoreline.

St Anthony’s striker Cordell Cato was guilty of missing two key chances within the 18-metre area with Joseph at his mercy, and Joseph protected his near post from Andel Francois’ 79th-minute attempt. Cato also twice beat Joseph, but not the far post, as did Shaquille Nesbit.

In the end, all those misses cost the ’Tigers’ their season, QRC advancing with an almost militant performance from the spot.

Yesterday’s InterCol scores:

North Zone

St Anthony’s 2 (Dave Long 6th, Garvin Samaroo 42nd) QRC 2 (Duane Muckette 48th, Akil Morris 61st)

QRC won 6-5 on penalties

St Mary’s 1 (Christian Briggs) Fatima 1 (Phillip Coker 70th)

St Mary’s won 5-3 on penalties

South Zone

Naparima 6 Siparia 0

Presentation Sando 1 (Travis Francis 80th) Shiva Boys 0