On April 24, the Saint Lucia Football Association Southern Zone Under-20 Men’s District Tournament concluded its championship match at the Phillip Marcellin Grounds, where visiting side Soufriere pulled off a memorable penalty shootout victory against hosts Vieux Fort South, dashing the home team’s hopes of claiming the regional title on their own turf.
The tightly contested final kept fans on the edge of their seats from the opening whistle. Coming into the match as the tournament’s top goal scorer with 11 total strikes to his name, Soufriere’s star striker Eymani Butcher was tightly marked and effectively neutralized by Vieux Fort South’s defensive unit throughout regulation play. The deadlock was broken just minutes before the halftime break, when Kailon Flavius slotted home a clinical finish to put Soufriere up 1-0. The hosts pushed hard for an equalizer through the second half, and their persistence paid off in the final minute of regulation: Keivin Sylvester found the back of the net in the 89th minute to force the match to a penalty shootout.
When the match moved to penalties to decide the champion, Soufriere held their nerve, converting five straight spot kicks to secure a 5-4 shootout win and claim the Southern Zone crown. The result marked a sweet revenge for Soufriere, who had fallen to Vieux Fort South in their earlier preliminary round matchup.
Vieux Fort South’s road to the final was marked by its own dramatic twists. After dropping a 2-1 preliminary round match to Choiseul, the side bounced back with a narrow 1-0 victory over Choiseul in the knockout stage to advance, then crushed Vieux Fort North by a dominant 6-0 scoreline in the semifinal to secure their spot in the final.
In the tournament’s third-place playoff held alongside the final, Vieux Fort North claimed bronze over Choiseul following another match that went to penalties. Regulation ended 2-2, and Vieux Fort North held on to win the shootout 4-2, matching their result against Choiseul from the group stage of the competition. In the third-place match, Keshawn Charles opened the scoring for Vieux Fort North in the 33rd minute, and the side extended their lead in the 54th minute when a misplayed clearance from Shakari Faucher went into his own net. Choiseul responded with an explosive two-goal run within 60 seconds: Christopher Montoute found the net in the 60th minute, followed by Devin Phillip just a minute later to level the score and force penalties.
Across the entire Southern Zone tournament, a total of 49 goals were scored by all participating teams, with Butcher’s 11-goal haul accounting for more than 22 percent of the tournament’s total goals, cementing his status as the competition’s most dangerous offensive weapon. Following the final whistle, Soufriere was presented with the Southern Zone U-20 championship trophy to cap off their comeback title run.