Two more teams have locked in their places in the last eight of the Blackheart/Saint Lucia Football Association Under-20 Boys’ Knockout Tournament, following decisive Round of 16 fixtures hosted Wednesday night at the Philip Marcellin Grounds in Vieux Fort. South Castries and Vieux Fort South now join previously qualified Gros Islet and Dennery in the tournament’s quarterfinal lineup.
The first match of the night delivered a hotly contested Castries derby, where South Castries dominated their local rivals Central Castries to claim a clean 2-0 win. South Castries got off to a fast start, with Tyler St Rose opening the scoring just 12 minutes into the game. The side held onto their 1-0 lead through halftime, before Armani Lesmond extended their advantage in the 49th minute to seal the victory.
In the second Round of 16 clash, hosts Vieux Fort South came out swinging against Mon Repos, who had earned their spot in this round with a narrow 3-2 win over Desruisseaux just one week prior. Vieux Fort South stunned their opponents with an explosive early start, netting two goals in the opening 15 minutes to jump to a 2-0 lead. The first goal came from Jeremie Toussaint, followed by an own goal from Mon Repos defender Seth Reneau. 17 minutes into the second half, Tristan Alphonse put Vieux Fort South up 3-0, seemingly putting the game out of reach.
But Mon Repos mounted a late, brave fightback that prevented a lopsided scoreline. In the final minute of regulation time, Andreas Charlery scored two quick goals to cut the deficit to one, ending the match at 3-2 in favor of Vieux Fort South. Despite the late rally, Mon Repos was eliminated from the knockout competition, while Vieux Fort South advanced to the quarterfinals.
The tournament’s next round fixtures will kick off in Soufriere on May 29. Two quarterfinal matches are scheduled for that date: Choiseul will face off against Mabouya Valley, and Canaries will take on Eastern Zone champions Roseau Valley, who advanced to this stage after winning their qualifying match. On May 31, top-seeded La Clery will make their quarterfinal debut against Micoud, and Southern Zone champions Soufriere will play Anse La Raye.