Costa Rica scores big to advance to W Gold Cup

MIAMI, Florida, (CMC) – Caribbean Football Union No. 7 and Concacaf No. 12 St Kitts & Nevis slumped to their fourth successive defeat when María Paula Salas scored a seven-bagger to lead Concacaf No. 3 Costa Rica to a 19-0 win in the Concacaf Road to W Gold Cup qualifiers on Monday.
The Kittitians’ hopes of avoiding being swept in League A, Group C and endure relegation to League B next term hit a snag on home soil in Basseterre, where the visiting Costa Ricans got 10 players on the scoresheets to grab a crucial three points to top the group ahead of CFU No. 2 and Concacaf No. 7 Haiti.

Hosts Curaçao ended the group stage with a 6-1 win against Cayman Islands to seal top spot in League C, Group D, Belize celebrated finishing first in Group A with a 1-0 victory against Aruba on the road, and Bonaire condemned Turks & Caicos to the bottom of the same group with a 2-0 win on home soil.
AT THE SKNFA TECHNICAL CENTRE: Costa Rica advanced to the group stage of the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup, while Haiti finished second and will progress to the Prelims.
In a flash, the Kittitians were down three goals with a pair from Salas goals in the second and fifth minutes sandwiching an Alexa Herrera strike in the third.

Salas scored twice, including a header, in the span of a minute to extend the Ticas’ lead to 5-0 before Gloriana Villalobos added a sixth goal in the 19th minute.
Salas followed up with her fifth goal in the 23rd minute and then Fabiola Villalobos scored in the 25th minutes on a powerful right-footed shot to propel Costa Rica to an 8-0 lead.
There was another spurt of goals from Costa Rica shortly that rocketed them to a 12-0 half-time lead and perhaps had the home team begging for “a mercy rule” in the tournament.

Herrera netted in the 43rd minute, Sheika Scott joined the goal feast in the 44th, so too, Raquel Rodriguez in the third minute of first-half stoppage time from the penalty spot, and Salas completed her double hat-trick in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time with a shot from close-range.
The Costa Ricans did not let up to ensure that goal difference was never going to be the deciding factor in the group standings, and Salas scored a header in the 49th minute to complete her perfect seven.

Melissa Herrera added her name to the scoresheet in the 59th minute with a header off a corner kick before Alexandra Pinell squeezed in a shot in the 64th minute to take the score to 15-0.
A right-footed volley off a corner kick from Mariela Campos in the 68th minute stretched the lead further before Tanisha Fonseca nodded home a header in the 89th minute, Emilie Valenciano slotted home in the second minute of second-half stoppage time and Fonseca tacked on another in the third minute of second-half stoppage time to cap the scoring.

AT THE RIGNAAL JEAN FRANCISCA STADIUM: A goal in each half from Kadisha Martina enabled Curaçao to end with a perfect record, winning all four of their group matches, and promotion to League B.
Curacao raced out to an early 2-0 lead on the strength of goals from Jeleaugh Rosa in the fifth minute and Martina in the 19th minute.

The visitors responded when Chelsea Brown scored off a free kick in the 26th minute and still appeared to be in the contest at half-time with the score 2-1, and even with half-hour remaining.
Taïsha Hansen fired in a right-footed shot in the 66th minute, and this opened the floodgates in the remaining time.
Curaçao got goals from Sadéyah Rosa in the 80th, Martina a minute later, and Emily Pulido in the final minute to finish the match strongly.

AT GUILLERMO P. TRINIDAD STADIUM: Belize too, finished the group stage with a perfect record, winning all six matches of the campaign, while outscoring their opponents 20-1, and earned promotion to League B.
It was a very competitive throughout the entire match, and the breakthrough came for the Belizeans from the right foot of Mikhaila Bowden in the 85th minute when she launched a free kick that went screaming into the top right corner.

AT THE TCIFA NATIONAL STADIUM: Bonaire were able to hold their shape after first-half goals from Vurgy-Ann Visers and Celine van Loe to end the group stage with their second win and third place on seven points.
Visers broke the deadlock in the 19th minute, turning in a cross from the left wing from Jeanelle Thode, and van Loe doubled the advantage in the 35th minute when she thumped in a header off a corner kick.