League C top scorer Gerwin Lake #17 scored to give St. Maarten the lead. The goal was his eighth of the competition.
SAINT CROIX, US Virgin Islands - In the League C Group A finale on Tuesday evening, Sint Maarten defeated the US Virgin Islands 2-1 on the road at the Bethlehem Soccer Complex to conclude a fantastic Nations League that sees them top Group A and earn both a promotion to League B and a spot in the 2023 Gold Cup Prelims.
The first half was a fairly even affair, and each side managed a handful of fair chances, but neither was able to break through and the match remained scoreless at halftime.
Both Kay Gerritsen and Chovanie Amatkarijo had near misses in the opening five minutes of the second half, and you could feel something was brewing for St. Maarten. It came in the 58th minute from who else but League C top scorer Gerwin Lake, who blasted one in from 25 yards out to give St. Maarten the lead. The goal was his eighth of the competition.
USVI captain Karson Kendall struck back for the home side when he knocked in a corner in the 76th minute to level things up at 1-1. Kendall’s goal, for the moment, bumped St. Maarten out of first place.
But substitute Jeroen Cox had some late heroics in store for the visitors. On his very first touch of the game, Cox slipped one past USVI GK Lionel Brown to catapult St. Maarten back into the lead and back up to first place in the group.
When the dust settled after an exciting night of action, St. Maarten stood alone in first place in the group with 11 points. The US Virgin Islands finish fourth in the group with four points.
