Jaden Antoine scored Saint Lucia’s only goal as the team ended their Caribbean Football Union Boys Under-14 Challenge Series with a tough 7-1 loss to Suriname on Wednesday at Cap Cana Sports City in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
The young Piton Boyz struggled in their Tier II Group D finale and were down 5-0 by halftime. Alexander Alberga scored the first goal in the 20th minute, even though two Saint Lucian defenders tried to stop him.
A weak header from the Saint Lucian defence gave Alberga his second goal in the 22nd minute. Cillquinhio Plet made it 3-0 by scoring directly from a corner kick in the 25th minute. Alberga finished his hat trick in the 28th after receiving a through ball at midfield. Just a minute later, he set up Valentinho Amaisi for a low shot into the bottom corner.
Saint Lucia’s goalkeeper made several good saves early in the second half, but he was partly responsible for Suriname’s next two goals.
The first came in the 50th minute when his attempted clearance bounced off Amaisi and went into the net. A minute later, the referee harshly awarded a penalty against the keeper, and Vaughn Zeegelaar scored.
In the 58th minute, Antoine from New Generation FC scored with a header from a corner, giving Saint Lucia their only goal. This was Saint Lucia’s second loss in the group. Their only win came against the United States Virgin Islands, which gave them three points.
Suriname beat USVI 10-0 and drew 1-1 with Grenada, finishing first in the group on goal difference. Grenada beat USVI 9-0 and Saint Lucia 3-2 to take second place. Saint Lucia came third, while USVI finished last without any points.
Suriname advanced to the semifinals, which will take place on Friday. The winners will play in the Tier II championship match on Sunday.
