The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas is through to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championships.

The team scored their second win of the group stage and added an additional three points with a 12-2 win over Bonaire yesterday at the tournament in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Timothy Munnings had a haul with four goals, James Thompson delivered three for a hat trick while Lesly St Fleur bagged a brace with his pair of scores to lead the Bahamian offensive outburst.

Michael Butler, Jean Francois and Gavin Christie each added goals as the team improved to 2-0 in group stage play thus far.

The Bahamas faces the United States at 7pm today local time in their final game of Group C.

Butler struck first with his goal in the third minute of the first period.

Munnings scored on a free kick less than two minutes later before Bonaire answered with a goal from Raydolf Felix. Francois (11’) scored late in the period to give the Bahamas a 3-0 lead at the end of the first break.

Thompson scored his trio of goals in the second period as the Bahamas continued their run with five unanswered scores.

St Fleur scored the first of the period (12’) and Thompson (14’) reached the scoreboard with a header and Christie scored on a free kick (15’) within the next minute. Thompson concluded the period with a pair of goals (20’, 23’) and the Bahamas took an 8-0 lead into the final third.

Munnings scored twice in the opening minutes of the third (24’, 25’) before Bonaire finally stopped the unanswered run with a goal from Elionard Janga.

St Fleur scored once again (28’) before Munnings (32’) capped the game with his fourth goal and the game’s final margin. Team Bahamas is coached by Luis Escobar Passos Da Silva, assisted by Wilson DaCosta, and Larry Minns as the team’s manager.

Following round-robin play, the first and second place finishers of each group will advance to the quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals winners will advance to the semi-finals. Semi-final winners will automatically qualify for the tournament’s final, as well as the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019, November 19- December 1.

Six teams have already qualified for the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup - host Paraguay, along with Japan, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria and Senegal.