The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Both beach soccer teams for the Bahamas lost opening day matches as the discipline began group stage play last night at the National Beach Soccer Stadium.

In the girls game the Bahamas lost to Jamaica 15-2 while the boys surrendered a trio of goals in the final period of a 5-2 loss to Saint Lucia.

St Lucia’s Zane Amedee scored a hat trick in the third period to give his side the win.

Tied 2-2 headed into the third, Amedee scored the go ahead for St Lucia on a breakaway. On the ensuing possession, he blocked a shot from Bahamas goalkeeper Michael Butler and the deflection found the back of the unguarded net to give St. Lucia a 4-2 lead. Amedee would add his third goal just moments later for the final margin.

The Bahamas struck first when Butler scored at 2:19 mark in first to give Bahamas an early lead. Linus Clovis scored the equalizer for St. Lucia with just four seconds left to play in the opening period.

The Bahamas regained the lead in the second period when team captain Phieron Wilson scored with 2:27 left to play, but again St. Lucia had the answer just over a minute later when Sebastian Ribot successfully converted a penalty kick to tie the game at 2 headed into the third.

The Jamaican team was dominant from the outset and took command quickly with a 3-0 lead within the first three minutes of the first third.

Jamaica’s La-Tavia Russell recorded a hat trick in the first period and her third goal gave her team a 5-0 lead at the 2:56 mark in the first.

Jamaica continued to dominate in the second and tacked on several goals to take a 12-0 lead into the third.

The Bahamas finally reached the scoreboard with a goal from Allicia Telle at the 8:29 mark . Telle added her second goal of the game in the waning moments of the game with seven seconds left to play.

Both teams return to the pitch today in the final two games on the evening schedule. The girls will take on Turks and Caicos at 6:45 pm, followed by the boys against Antigua and Barbuda at 8pm.

In other matches yesterday, Trinidad and Tobago won matches in both divisions. Their girls won 5-2 over Turks and Caicos, while the boys overcame a five-goal deficit to defeat Antigua and Barbuda 2-1 (6-6) on penalties.