Pardon the comparison, but Trinidad and Tobago’s surprise tie with Sweden on Saturday was the “Cool Runnings” moment of the 2006 World Cup. It was in that 1993 movie that a Jamaican bobsled team surprised the competition at the 1988 Winter Olympics in an event usually dominated by teams that have, you know, snow and ice. And such was the shock when Trinidad and Tobago, ranked 47 internationally and playing a man down, performed with passion and forced a much stronger Swedish squad, ranked 16 in the world, to a draw.

Even more surprising — and the local link in this story — was that Trinidad and Tobago’s victory came in no small part thanks to goalkeeper Shaka Hislop’s stunning performance, stopping a number of point-blank shots on goal that could have left his team with a loss. Hislop graduated from Howard University in 1992, having played on the school’s squad in their 1988 NCAA championship loss to Indiana, and was inducted into the university’s Hall of Fame in 2005. At 37, he’s probably past his prime as an athlete, yet his performance on Saturday may indicate that there’s still a spark within.

Have no doubt that we’ll be cheering for our local soccer celebrity when Trinidad and Tobago faces England this Thursday.