MIAMI, Florida – It was a day to forget for St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the Cayman Islands, as both teams endured humbling defeats in the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Qualifiers on Saturday.
St. Vincent fell 5-0 to an in-form Nicaragua at the Estadio Nacional de Fútbol, while Costa Rica obliterated the Cayman Islands with a 7-0 rout at Ato Boldon Stadium in Trinidad and Tobago.
From the opening whistle, both Caribbean squads found themselves on the back foot, struggling to cope with the intensity and precision of their opponents.
Munguia and Garache tear through St. Vincent
In Nicaragua’s clinical performance, Adriana Munguia and Perla Garache were the undisputed stars, each netting a brace to lead the charge.
Munguia wasted no time setting the tone, breaking the deadlock in the 14th minute. Just four minutes later, Garache doubled the lead, leaving St Vincent reeling early on.
The home side continued to pile on the pressure, and their dominance was further cemented after Daniela Manzanares unleashed a stunning free kick in the 49th minute, curling the ball past the helpless goalkeeper for a 3-0 advantage.
The onslaught wasn’t over, as Munguia struck again in the 69th minute, and Garache completed her brace five minutes from time, sealing a commanding 5-0 victory for Nicaragua.
Costa Rica crushes Cayman Islands in seven-goal drubbing
Meanwhile, over in Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica delivered an attacking masterclass, dismantling the Cayman Islands with a merciless 7-0 display.
From the very first whistle, the Costa Ricans looked unstoppable, with Keisy Taylor needing just two minutes to open the scoring. Sheika Scott doubled the lead in the seventh, and before Cayman could regain composure, Taylor struck again in first-half stoppage time, putting her side up 3-0 at the break.
Scott grabbed her second goal in the 30th minute, and the second half saw further punishment as Fabiana Sanabria (37’), Tiara Ruiz (56’), and Lucia Panigua (88’) all got their names on the scoresheet.
The Cayman Islands had no response, and the final whistle brought an end to a bruising encounter, with Costa Rica firmly in control from start to finish.
El Salvador joins the winners’ circle
Elsewhere in the qualifiers, El Salvador added their name to the list of dominant performances, thrashing the US Virgin Islands 6-0 in another one-sided affair.
For St. Vincent and the Cayman Islands, Saturday’s matches served as a harsh reminder of the gap in quality at this level. Both teams will need to regroup quickly, as they look to improve and restore pride in their upcoming fixtures.
Meanwhile, Nicaragua and Costa Rica continue to assert themselves as serious contenders in the tournament, their performances a warning to any team standing in their way.
As the CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Qualifiers roll on, the battle for supremacy intensifies, but for now, it’s a celebration for the victors and soul-searching for the vanquished.
