The Caribbean Football Union Boys Under-14 Challenge Series kicked off on Sunday in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, delivering a dramatic opening matchup in Tier II Group D that ended with a heart-stopping 3-2 victory for Grenada over a young, resilient Saint Lucia side known as the Piton Boyz.
Played at the modern Cap Cana Sports City venue, the contest lived up to pre-tournament excitement as a five-goal thriller that kept spectators on the edge of their seats until the final seconds. Grenada got off to a blistering start that put Saint Lucia on the back foot early, but the Piton Boyz fought back admirably to level the scoreline, only for a late stoppage-time goal to split the two sides after a full 90 minutes of play.
Grenada’s opening goal came in the 14th minute from striker Romario Phillip, who broke the deadlock with a clinical finish. Just 60 seconds later, midfielder Adon Bishop doubled Grenada’s advantage, leaving Saint Lucia facing a 2-0 deficit inside the opening 15 minutes of the tournament. Undeterred by the early setback, Saint Lucia clawed their way back into the game: forward Jalen McDonald cut the deficit to one goal in the 30th minute, before winger Lyin Griffith found the back of the net to equalize just eight minutes later, sending the two sides into halftime level at 2-2.
The second half unfolded as a tense tactical battle, with both defenses stepping up to block repeated attacking pushes. As the clock ticked down, it looked increasingly likely that the fixture would end in a 2-2 draw, mirroring the result of the two teams’ last meeting in this very competition two years prior. But in the final minutes of stoppage time, attacker Jaywani Noel slotted home the decisive winner for Grenada, securing all three points for his side in their opening group stage game.
The tournament structure leaves no room for error for either side moving forward. Only the top team from Tier II Group D will advance to the tournament semifinals, scheduled to take place next Friday. Saint Lucia will look to bounce back from their narrow opening loss when they face the United States Virgin Islands on Monday. The US Virgin Islands also suffered a heavy defeat in their opening fixture, falling 8-0 to Suriname on Sunday. Saint Lucia will then go head-to-head with Suriname in their final group stage match on Wednesday.