Local football giants La Clery and Soufriere have both advanced to the semifinals of the 2024 Blackheart Football Tournament.
Each team secured victory with a one-goal margin in the quarterfinals held at the Soufriere Mini Stadium on Sunday, moving on to the final four of the competition.
In the first match between La Clery and Canaries, the game’s only goal came from Ronald Cooper in the first half.
A defensive lapse by Canaries proved costly, as Cooper intercepted a pass intended for centreback Rick St John, enabling him to score. Despite creating multiple goal-scoring opportunities in both halves, the Men from the West were unable to find the back of the net.
La Clery now remains on course to win three titles in a row, after capturing the inaugural Saint Lucia Semi-Professional Football League (SPFL) Tier 1 trophy last month in Dennery, and the Saint Lucia Football Association (SLFA) Island Cup earlier this year. La Clery have never made the Blackheart final.
The second game, featuring defending champions and home team Soufriere and Roseau, began with early drama as Soufriere was awarded a penalty. However, a brilliant save by the Roseau goalkeeper kept the game scoreless for a few more minutes.
The title-holders, Soufriere, eventually took the lead in the 42nd minute with a close-range finish by Lee John following a well-placed corner kick.
After the goal, there was little additional action. Roseau struggled to apply significant pressure on the home team, even with 15 minutes of stoppage time added due to injuries.
In the closing moments, left-back Jardel Philip received a second yellow card and was sent off after a rash challenge, but Soufriere maintained control, pressing on in their pursuit of consecutive Blackheart titles.
La Clery and Soufriere will now face each other in the upcoming semifinal on Friday. The northern Castries team is looking for redemption, hoping to avenge last year’s defeat by Soufriere, which ended their tournament run and paved the way for Soufriere’s championship victory.
