Vincy Heat’s too hot for Bermuda

by Robertson Henry

St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Vincy Heat squeezed past Bermuda 4-3 on September 12 in a 2023 CONCACAF Nations League B Group C clash against Bermuda at the Arnos Vale Playing Field.

The victory was secured by a Oalex Anderson hat-trick in the space of five minutes, each goal sending teammates and home crowd into a screaming frenzy, as hosts St Vincent and the Grenadines took command in the first half.

Bermuda got off to a promising start when Jai Bean put the visitors in the lead at the 21st minute with a powerful right-footed strike from just outside the penalty area.

Home team St Vincent and the Grenadines responded with the equalizer in the 40th minute from the head of Oalex Anderson inside the box on a floated pass from captain Cornelius Stewart.

The pair of Stewart and Anderson again combined in the 42nd minute as Anderson drove low to the Bermudan goalkeeper Dale Eve’s left to put the hosts in the lead 2-1.

St Vincent and the Grenadines went 3-1 up in the 45+2nd minute when Anderson collected a long diagonal pass from Jahvin Sutherland, raced into the opposition’s penalty area, and drove the ball low to the goalkeeper’s right. The ball took a deflection off a defender into the back of the nets, sending the 1,200 patrons into another screaming frenzy.

Jahvin Sutherland pounced unchallenged in the Bermuda penalty area to heap more misery onto the visitors in 63rd minute from a free kick chance to extend the hosts lead to 4-1.

However, Bermuda continued to fight back and cut the deficit in the 69th minute when Remy Coddington got one past Vincentian goalkeeper Garwin Davis at the far post, from service provided by Reggie Lambe from a crowded space to find the open man.

Lejaun Simmons added a third for Bermuda in the 74th minute to cap off a chaotic play inside the box and pull the visitors within one, but in the end the three points belonged to St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Tuesday’s victory places St Vincent and the Grenadines at the top of Group C after its first two matches, with Belize chasing right behind with three points, while Bermuda and French Guiana each have one point.