On the second day of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Boys Under-14 Challenge Series hosted in eastern Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia’s under-14 national squad, the Piton Boyz, delivered a dominant performance that stole all the headlines, securing a lopsided 7-0 victory over the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) at Punta Cana’s Cap Cana Sports City on Monday.
This result proved far more than just a routine win for the young Saint Lucian side. In the other Tier II Group D fixture of the tournament, Suriname and Grenada played out a tense 1-1 draw, a result that kept Saint Lucia’s faint hopes of topping the group alive. A second consecutive loss would have eliminated any chance for the Piton Boyz to claim first place in the group standing, making Monday’s rout a critical milestone in their tournament run.
Despite the seven-goal blowout, Saint Lucia’s path to the group title remains steep. To secure the top spot, the side not only needs to claim victory against Suriname in their upcoming fixture on Wednesday, but they also need an unlikely upset result in the concurrent Grenada-USVI match. The USVI side has struggled severely through the opening two rounds of the tournament, failing to score a single goal while conceding a staggering 15 total goals across their first two outings.
Monday’s win marked the largest margin of victory across all matches held on the day, with five different players finding the back of the net for the Piton Boyz. Shem Ishmael and Leon Vidal led the scoring with two goals each, while Anaj Piolius, Adan Adjodha and Khairi Elibox all contributed goals to the final tally.
The first half opened with a quick breakthrough for Saint Lucia, as Ishmael slotted a shot home from the top of the 18-yard box in the 10th minute, a goal that held as the only score through halftime to put the Piton Boyz up 1-0. Six minutes into the second half, the New Generation FC winger doubled his tally, pouncing on a loose ball just outside the penalty area and hammering a shot into the far corner of the net.
That second goal unlocked the floodgates for Saint Lucia, as the side ran riot through the USVI defense over the next five minutes. Monchy United substitute Anaj Polius won the ball off a USVI defender in open space before finding the net from a tight angle. Next, Anse La Raye’s Adan Adjodha converted a rebound chance, followed by Saint Lucia Sports Academy’s Leon Vidal slotting home a penalty to extend the lead.
Before the final whistle, a Monchy United midfielder raced down the right wing to connect with a perfectly placed cross, tapping it home to make the score 6-0. In the dying minutes of the match, Vidal pulled off a clever spin move to shake off his marker and score his second goal of the game, capping the 7-0 rout for Saint Lucia.
Looking ahead to Wednesday’s decisive group stage fixture, the Piton Boyz will need to bring their best form to overcome a tough Surinamese side. A win against Suriname would guarantee Saint Lucia finishes no lower than second in Group D, keeping their tournament dreams alive.