Canada blanks St. Vincent and the Grenadines in CONCACAF U-20 qualifying play

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad And Tobago — Tavio Ciccarelli scored three goals to help Canada defeat St. Vincent and the Grenadines 4-0 on Sunday and improve to 2-0-0 in CONCACAF Under-20 Championship qualifying play.

Ciccarelli scored in the 23rd and 54th minute before completing his hat trick from the penalty spot in the 89th minute.

Alessandro Biello also scored for the Canadians, roofing a shot from outside the penalty box in the 51st minute that left goalkeeper Tristan John rooted to the spot.

St. Vincent finished with an outfield player in goal when an injured John was taken off on a stretcher in second-half stoppage time.

Canada was coming off an 8-0 win over Dominica on Friday while St. Vincent blew a 2-0 lead, losing 3-2 to host Trinidad and Tobago on a 95th-minute winner by Michael Chaves.

St. Vincent proved to be stubborn opponent and held Canada off until the 23rd minute when a Matteo Schiavoni through ball put Ciccarelli behind a defender and the Sheffield United under-18 player beat John with a low left-footed shot.

Goals by Ciccarelli and Biello three minutes apart gave Canada some breathing room early in the second half.

The Canadians outshot St. Vincent 18-3 (11-2 in shots on target).

Canada wraps up group play Tuesday against host Trinidad and Tobago, which played Dominica later Sunday.

CONCACAF U-20 qualifying runs through March 2 across five venues in Central America and the Caribbean. Twenty-seven teams have been split into three groups of five and three groups of four with only the six group winners advancing to the main CONCACAF tournament this summer.

The U.S., Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic have received byes into the CONCACAF main tournament. The four semifinalists qualify for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.

Canada has not taken part in the FIFA U-20 soccer showcase since it hosted the event in 2007.

Myles Morgan had a hat trick and Santiago Lopez and Sergei Kozlovskiy each had two goals apiece against Dominica. Kevaughn Tavernier, a 17-year-old from Forge FC, scored the other goal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 25, 2024.