The road to the Saint Lucia Football Association Northern Zone Under-20 Men’s District Tournament title is down to two finalists, as Gros Islet and La Clery secured their spots in the championship match with vastly different semifinal results played Sunday at Marchand Grounds. The matchups capped a busy weekend of regional preliminary and playoff action across the island-nation’s four zonal competitions, with results coming in from Eastern, Western and Southern Zone fixtures as well.
Gros Islet entered the semifinal off a dominant 7-0 preliminary round blowout of Babonneau at Grande Riviere Playing Field, and the team picked up right where it left off against the same opponent. By halftime, Gros Islet had already built an insurmountable 6-0 lead, and never let up through the final whistle to finish with a lopsided 10-0 victory.
The first-half scoring binge was led by Rickelme Lionel, who notched a quick hat-trick in the final five minutes of the opening period, finding the back of the net in the 35th, 38th, and 40th minutes. Thierry Morille opened the scoring for Gros Islet with strikes in the 21st and 31st minutes, before Niyel Fontenelle closed out the first-half scoring with a goal in the 43rd minute.
Even after Babonneau made a goalkeeper change at halftime to stem the tide, Gros Islet’s attack continued to click. Just minutes after the restart, Morille completed his hat-trick, and added a fourth personal goal in the 52nd minute. Devonte Howell got in on the scoring with a 69th-minute strike, and Mehki Stanislaus rounded out the double-digit result with an 80th-minute penalty.
In contrast to Gros Islet’s easy pathway to the final, previously unbeaten La Clery fought a hard battle to claim its spot, requiring a penalty shootout to overcome a resilient Marchand side. Justice Germaine put La Clery up 1-0 in the 38th minute, and the side held that lead deep into the second half. But with just seven minutes left on the clock, Jalen Pamphile found an equaliser for Marchand, pushing the semifinal to penalties to decide a winner. After a tightly contested shootout, La Clery emerged with a 5-4 win on penalties to advance.
Across the island, the Eastern Zone completed its preliminary round action Saturday at Micoud Playing Field, with two teams picking up wins to advance. Dennery secured a 3-1 victory over Desruisseaux, behind second-half and late-game goals that broke a first-half tie. Corin Hunte put Dennery up in the 24th minute, only for Al Thomas to equalize for Desruisseaux just four minutes later. Bourne Innocent restored Dennery’s lead in the 72nd minute, and Tafari Martin sealed the three points with a stoppage-time goal in the 90th minute. Hosts Micoud earned a narrow 1-0 win over Mabouya Valley, with Mareus Aubert scoring the match’s only goal late in the 85th minute.
At Anse La Raye Playing Field in the Western Zone, Canaries pulled out a hard-fought 3-2 win over host side Anse La Raye. Kyron Sydney got Canaries off to a fast start, scoring twice in the opening 35 minutes to put his side up 2-0. Anse La Raye fought back before halftime, with Joshua Fevrier cutting the deficit to one in the 44th minute, and Andriano Auguste equalizing just after halftime in the 63rd minute. It was Derry John who had the final say, netting the game-winner for Canaries in the 74th minute to secure the victory.
The Southern Zone kicked off its tournament Friday at the Phillip Marcellin Grounds in Vieux Fort, with two opening matches delivering contrasting results. Vieux Fort North and Choiseul played out an eventful 2-2 draw, with the lead changing twice over the course of the game. Asheim Joseph put Vieux Fort North up just before halftime in the 43rd minute, and Devin Philip equalized for Choiseul five minutes after the break. Lenus Johnny restored Vieux Fort North’s lead five minutes later, only for Nahim Attirnne to lock in the draw with a 67th-minute equalizer, splitting the points between the two sides. In the other Southern Zone opening match, Soufriere picked up a 2-0 shutout win over Vieux Fort South, with second-half goals from Cassian Jn Baptiste (70th minute) and Sherquan Joseph (80th minute) securing the three points.