La Clery, the top seeds and Northern Zone finalists, have advanced to the quarterfinals of the Blackheart / Saint Lucia Football Association (SLFA) Knockout Tournament. Southern Zone champions Soufriere, along with Canaries and Mabouya Valley, also made it through after this weekend’s Under-20 men’s matches at two venues.
On Friday, May 28, at the Philip Marcellin Grounds in Vieux Fort, La Clery defeated Micoud 5-0. Keenan Joseph scored in the fourth minute, added another three minutes later, and finished his hat-trick at the start of the second half. Rohan Valcin made it 3-0 within 20 minutes, and Justice Germaine finished the scoring in the 59th minute.
Even though La Clery lost to Gros Islet in their zonal competition, they still finished at the top of the rankings because their senior men’s team won the Saint Lucia Semi-Professional Football League two years in a row.
Soufriere, champions of the South, saw Cassian Joseph score twice in the 37th and 63rd minutes on Sunday night at Soufriere Stadium. Ranel Jn Baptiste and Eymani Butcher also found the net, giving the eighth-ranked home team a 4-0 win over Anse La Raye.
On Friday, sixth-ranked Mabouya Valley secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Choiseul, with Kershan Cody Alexander scoring in the 71st minute.
Roseau Valley, winners of the Western Zone, were unranked in the Blackheart tournament and had to beat Babonneau in a qualifier to reach the main draw. They had previously beaten Canaries on penalties in their zonal competition, but on Sunday evening, Canaries got their revenge with a 1-0 win in the Blackheart Round of 16. The only goal came from a 57th-minute own goal by Nahum Octave.
Seven of the top eight ranked teams have reached the quarterfinals: La Clery, Vieux Fort South, Canaries, Gros Islet, Mabouya Valley, Dennery and Soufriere. South Castries, ranked 12th, also made it. All three teams that advanced through the qualifiers – Roseau Valley (14), Mon Repos (17) and Micoud (18) – have been eliminated.
