The Saint Lucia invasion of Martinique women’s football has continued, with Avenir FC earning their biggest win this season, led by three Saint Lucia internationals. On Saturday, Avenir beat US Diamantinoise 13-0 at Stade Municipal St Esprit in the Championnat Féminine. Shamalyn Albert netted six goals, a double hat-trick, to lead the attack.
“Since I joined Avenir FC the experience has been nothing short of amazing,” said Albert. “I am a great asset to the team and even when I miss out on goal-scoring opportunities, I would hear members of the technical staff asking the girls to encourage me, which is what I want, that extra strength to carry on and go harder. My main role within the team setup is to attack the defenders one-on-one, get the ball into the box, and score goals.
“In my last game on Saturday, against Diamantinoise FC I scored six goals, three in the first half and three in the second half. I entered the game with the mentality that I would be the one to score the 10 goals needed to move up to fourth place for the playoff. FC Avenir is currently in fifth place with two more games in hand before the playoff,” he added.
Emulation 1 won at the weekend to hold on to fourth place. The game between Avenir and Emulation next weekend will be a critical one.
Against Diamantinoise, Albert had two assists as well. Saint Lucia national captain Ellaisa Marquis and Dominica international Romelcia Philip each netted twice. A third Saint Lucian, Racquel John made her debut for Avenir, and played an integral role.
The game was actually ended after just 78 minutes, due to torrential rainfall, which rendered the ground unplayable. Albert is now into the top five scorers for the season, with 17 goals so far. Phillip, with 10 goals, moved into seventh place. The team remains fifth in the standings.
