Beaten by Bonaire in CFU opener

Bonaire secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Saint Lucia at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago on Friday. The game was the opening encounter for both teams in Tier II, Group C of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under-14 Boys Challenge. Saint Lucia dominated the opening moments, mainly through Randall Monroe, and the Bonaire defense found the lanky winger’s running and technical ability difficult to handle. The Saint Lucians were rewarded for their early hard work and took the lead through an own goal. Monroe got in behind the defense and his cross found Eustace Blackstock on the back post. Blackstock’s redirected header came off Bonaire defender Julian Garcia Henriquez to give Saint Lucia a well-deserved 1-goal advantage. Saint Lucia could have doubled their lead a few minutes later, with Monroe again in the thick of things— this time finding Sharquil Martelly inside the penalty area. But the midfielder dragged his shot wide. Despite the loss, Martelly was named player of the match. An injury to Monroe changed the tide of the match. With arguably their best player on the day replaced, Saint Lucia lost momentum. It wasn’t long before Bonaire drew level via Rayvion...