SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras – Andy Reyes and Kevin Masis scored two goals apiece as Costa Rica earned a 4-0 win over St. Lucia on Saturday in the 2015 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship Group B opener for each at the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano.
After an evenly played first half, the Costa Ricans shifted to a higher gear against the Caribbean side, which was making its first appearance in the competition since 1988.
The St. Lucians were not overawed by the occasion and produced the game’s first quality chance in the 21st minute, when Nyrone Winter squeezed a shot from outside the box in between two defenders only to see it bounce past the right post.
Ten minutes later, the impressive Reyes netted his first goal of the night. After receiving a long pass down left, he delightfully chipped the ball over a sliding defender in the box and coolly placed a right-footed shot inside the near post from nine-yards out.
Just minutes before the break, St. Lucia’s Noah Nicholas – the team’s top scorer in Caribbean qualifying with five goals – made a rampaging down the right side, before unleashing a swerving effort that diving goalkeeper Alejandro Barrientos did well to palm away at the right post.
Costa Rica emerged from the half-time talk in an attacking mood, looking more crisp and cohesive.
It took the Ticos only five minutes to make it 2-0. Roberto Cordoba aimed a right-sided free kick from 28-yards out at the far post. The ball sailed over the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Viannie George onto the head of Masis, who nodded in from point-blank range.
In the 53rd minute, Reyes used intuition to complete his brace by hustling to slide home off a right-sided cross on the ground by Ian Smith.
Masis punctuated the scoreline in the 69th minute. The Santos de Guapiles youth standout received a feed from Reyes near the top of the box, accelerated while taking a touch and found the left side of the net from 17-yards out.
Costa Rica returns to action on Tuesday against Canada, while St. Lucia will face Mexico earlier that same day.
