ST. PAUL’S UNITED FALL TO JONG HOLLAND IN CONCACAF CARIBBEAN CLUB SHIELD 

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS AND NEVIS (Concacaf): SKNFA Premier League defending champions, St. Paul’s United FC, fell in their second match of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield being played in Saint Kitts and Nevis. Jong Holland of Curacao rallied from a 1-0 deficit to defeat home side St. Paul’s United 2-1 at the SKNFA Technical Center.

Nicquan Phipps gave St. Paul’s a 1-0 lead in the 44’ with a goal, but Jong Holland stormed back with two goals in six second-half minutes from Thom Derks in the 53’ and Davidson Rosa in the 58’ to earn their second win of the 2023 Shield.

After the match, St. Paul’s captain Jamal Jeffers suggested his team go punished for not putting away their chances. “Football is a game of chance and when you get chances and you put them away then at the end of the day you are the victorious team…we had chances and we didn’t put them away. Curacao (Jong Holland) had chances and they took them,” Jeffers said.

Coach Lennox Mauris of Jong Holland says St. Paul’s pressed them and created many chances early in the match. He said he told his team to stay together and stayed focused. “We were really prepared. We know that St. Paul’s is a very physical team…I told the guys to stay together, et hem play the long ball and from the second ball, we will try to play,” Mauris said.

In other matches, Martinique side Golden Lion, who scored 11 goals on their way to an 11-1 triumph over South East FC of Dominica at Warner Park in Group B.

It was Golden Lion’s first match of the tournament, while South East suffered their second defeat of the Shield.

Alvyn Lamasine (60’, 76’, 79’) and Kenterly Faucher (68’, 82’, 90’) each scored hat tricks, while legendary FW Kevin Parsemain (45+3’, 50’) bagged a brace to help pace Golden Lion to the line. Also adding their names to the scoresheet were Davy Singama (9’), Thierry Catherine (33’), and Jordy Boriel (70’). Deikel Prince scored the lone South East goal in the 23’

In Group A at the SKNFA Technical Centre, Metropolitan of Puerto Rico collected another victory in a 3-0 final with Junior Stars of Saint Martin. Franco Lopez scored a brace with goals in the 41’ and 68’, sandwiching a Sebastian Diaz score in the 53’.

Metropolitan now have six points with two wins, while Junior Stars are still searching for their first point of the tournament.