Saint Lucia and Haiti had met each other three times in the past two years in age group competition, twice under-20 and once under-17. All three encounters were big wins for Haiti.
In 2014, Saint Lucia were beaten 4-0 in U20 action in Port Au Prince, all four coming in the first half. In 2014, again on home soil, a Jude Maitre hat trick got Haiti the 6-1 win. In 2015, it was Ronaldo Damus with three goals in a 4-1 win in Honduras, in the CONCACAF U17 finals.
The two Kwéyòl-speaking nations met Saturday in Willemstad, Curaçao, for the latest CONCACAF U20 World Cup 2017 Qualifiers. their fixture represented the opening match of a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) finals Group B doubleheader at the Stadion Ergilio Hato.
The script looked familair. Robert Louima opened the scoring for Haiti in the seventh minute, with Damus adding a second in the 22nd. At halftime, Haiti were well on top.
Saint Lucia started to come into the game in the second half, eking out chances and defending to greater effect. But in the final 12 minutes, the game again burst into life.
First, Kenley Dede scored in the 78th to extend the Haiti lead. Then Saint Lucia's Keeroy Lionel pulled one back. in the 80th. That only spurred Haiti into further action, as Damus scored in the 83rd and 86th to complete his hat trick and Haiti to conclude their 5-1 win.
In the other Group B match on Saturday evening, Cuba were held to a goalless draw by Trinidad and Tobago.
And now, group plays gets started in earnest for Saint Lucia. They played Trinidad and Tobago to a 1-1 draw earlier this year, in Port of Spain. Overall, they have had decent results against the twin island republic of late, and will hope for more of the same on Monday from 6pm.
Getting a win against Trinidad and Tobago could put Saint Lucia in a good position to advance from the eight-team CFU finals. The competition, which runs through 30 October, will qualify the top five finishers to the CONCACAF event scheduled to be played in Costa Rica in February 2017.
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