BRADENTON, Florida – Nicaragua and Grenada each posted big wins in Group A action in 2019 Concacaf Under-17 Championship Qualifying on Wednesday in Bradenton, Florida.
Four goals in the first 35 minutes lay the groundwork for Nicaragua’s 5-0 win over the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Widman Talavera Flores (13’) and Patrick Huete Valenzuela (29’) gave the Pinoleros a 2-0 lead by the half-hour mark, before a Kareem Sealey own goal in the 34’ and a Carlos Perez Rodriguez goal in the 35’ made it 4-0 at halftime.
From there Nicaragua could play to its liking and added a score in the 74’ when Huete Valenzuela notched his second of the day to cap the 5-0 scoreline.
In the day’s other match, Grenada came back from a 1-0 deficit to collect a 2-1 win over Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Javed Hunte got Vincy Heat off to a strong start with a goal in the 32’, but the second half belonged to Grenada, as Aquil Lawlite equalized in the 47’ before Benjamin Ettienne struck for the winning score in the 62’ to earn the three points.
Grenada returns to action on Friday against Nicaragua, while Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will look to rebound against Cayman Islands.
