_{Photo: San Estevan U-17 Soccer Team}

ORANGE WALK TOWN, Sun. Sept. 8, 2024

The National Under-17 Youth Club championship finals organized by the Football Federation of Belize (FFB) will be an all-Orange Walk affair, as both the San Estevan Soccer Team and Progresso FC U17 eliminated their rivals in the semifinal series at the Louisiana Government School field on Saturday and Sunday, September 7 and 8.

On Saturday, the San Estevan Soccer Team got the easy bye into the finals by (Toledo’s) Tribal FC’s no-show for Game 2 of their semifinal series. San Estevan had taken Game 1 of the semifinal series by a 5-nil score, quite insurmountable; and Tribal FC apparently declined taking the long journey from P.G. for Game 2. With an automatic (3-0) default victory, San Estevan thus registered an 8-0 aggregate score in the semifinals.

On Sunday, Progresso FC outlasted Roaring Creek FC in a penalty shootout that went to sudden death, with Ziderine Carcaño scoring the winning penalty after the score was tied at 5-5 after 6 kicks each.

Roaring Creek had won the first semifinal 2-1; but Mark Bainton (13’) tied the aggregate score, when he finished a corner kick from Bryce Lawrence, and it held up in regulation for the 1-nil Progresso victory. With the aggregate score tied at 2-2 in regulation and after 30 minutes overtime, it came down to penalties. Jorgito Nunes, Cleveland Lord, Ediel Reyes and Mark Bainton converted for Progresso, while Zionnel Reid, Jaden Sanche, Darwin Saravia and Lister Thomas converted for the visitors for a 4-4 tie after 5 tries.

In sudden death, both James Waight and Ziderine Carcaño converted for Progresso, but only Leon Gillett scored