St Lucia's Louis, St Louis combine to put five past Guadeloupe

By Sports Desk December 02, 2023
St Lucia players celebrate. St Lucia players celebrate. Concacaf

Krysan St. Louis notched a hat-trick and Arnicka Louis bagged a brace, as St Lucia hammered Guadeloupe 5-1 in their Concacaf Women's Gold Cup Qualifying Group B, League C encounter at Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet on Friday.

The victory puts St Lucia within three points of group honours, which they can secure with victory away to leaders Cuba in their finale on Tuesday.

Just like she did in their first meeting when she scored four goals, Louis picked up where she left off and gave St Lucia an early seventh-minute lead when she converted from a goalmouth melee, after an initial effort was deflected on the post.

St Lucia doubled the lead in the 22nd minute when a counter-press opened up the defence for Louis to fire home her brace.

From there, it became the St. Louis show, as the Texas A&M forward notched her first with a deft chip over the keeper in the 39th, after her initial effort was blocked.

St. Louis looked poised to bag her second of the game shortly before half-time after a Guadeloupe handball resulted in a penalty. However, Guadeloupe's goalkeeper Maina Mornal denied her from the 12-yard spot, and in the process registered a third penalty save in three matches.

But St. Louis was not to be stopped and she eventually got a second in the 57th. She split a pair of defenders and later fired past Mornal.

Guadeloupe never threw in the towel, and they got their reward with a late goal in the 89th, when Sydjalhia Garriba fired in a right-footed shot.

Still, it was too little too late, as St Louis and St Lucia had the final say when she completed her hat trick with another tidy finish in time added.

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