Bermuda 5 Turks & Caicos Islands 0

Winger Kalen Brunson scored a hat-trick and weighed in with an assist for Bermuda to rack up a huge victory against Turks & Caicos Islands in the Concacaf Men’s Under-17 Qualifier at Flora Duffy Stadium last night.

Brunson netted in the sixth, 27th and 54th minutes. The Queens Park Rangers youth player provided an assist for captain Logan Jimenez in the 73rd minute before substitute Harlem Bean-Fox rounded off the scoring for the Gombey Warriors a minute into stoppage time.

With the win, Bermuda moved into second position on goal difference from Curaçao, who lost 7-1 to Canada earlier in the day.

“Kalen Brunson is a special talent,” coach Aaron Lugo told The Royal Gazette.

“He executed very well and proved that he was capable of being a complete package. We did talk to him about his finishing product, he does well in beating players down the line and we just wanted him to be a little bit more good in the final third.

“He was a big miss against Anguilla, but some players have to rest, which is why some of the players didn't play today. We rested him in the previous match so that he could be fresh coming into this one.”

Lugo commended the players for responding to instructions from the coaches in a positive manner.

“All credit goes to the players,” the coach said. “We gave them a good talk, they responded and we’re pleased.

“They knew what was at stake with Canada beating Curaçao, they had to run up a big score against Turks & Caicos. They did but we were just proud that we saw what we were working on at training, and that’s the positive for me.”

Jimenez credited the success against Turks & Caicos to the preparations they put in for the encounter.

“It’s great feeling to get another three points on the board,” the captain said.

“It all comes from the start of the day at the hotel. What we eat, how we treat each other, we see the result on the pitch.”

“I found playing against Turks & Caicos not that difficult. I didn't have to play balls in behind as much, as it was easy to find players that were wide open.”

Central defender Emeer Peets shared the same sentiments with the team leader.

“It came down to the preparation before the game,” he said. “I feel like the coaches prepared us well for us to win by such a huge margin.”

Pressure from Brunson resulted in Hudsonne Saint-Amour handling the ball inside the box. While Samuel Harvey dived the correct way, he could not stop the ball from 12 yards out.

On two occasions, Harvey’s imposing frame stood in the way of Brunson getting an early brace. The 15-year-old did get his second from a free kick on the left side, with the ball going through the crowded box to sail into the net without being touched.

Seven minutes before the break, Jimenez had his header from a Brunson cross saved into the upright by Harvey.

Lugo made a double change at the start of the second half with Bean-Fox replacing Roger Williams, while Amir Brangman-Johnson made way for Sami Carolo. Bean-Fox made an immediate impact with a pass for Brunson to control and shoot for his hat-trick.

Brunson delivered a perfect free kick for Jimenez to head in his second goal of the tournament. From a similar position, Carolo’s set-piece found Bean-Fox, who connected with a header.

Photo gallery

SCORERS

Bermuda: Brunson 6 pen, 27, 54, Jimenez 73, Bean-Fox 90+1

TEAMS

Bermuda (4-3-3): C Jackson – L Jimenez, E Peets, D Coddington, D Smith-Davis – N Zuill (sub: N Outerbridge, 69), A Brangman-Johnson (sub: S Carolo, 46), B Borgesson (sub: S Goater, 81) – K Brunson (sub: I Gibbons, 80), R Williams (sub: Bean-Fox, 46), K Fray. Substitutes notused: D Leverock, G Reese, T Steede. Booked: Bean-Fox, Peets.

Turks & Caicos Islands (4-2-3-1): S Harvey – H Saint-Amour, T Francois, A Jean, D Richie (sub: K Malcolm, 84) – D Daniel (sub: D Mesidort, 88), W Saintilus (sub: I Gardiner, 57) – S Legrand (sub: A Occilien, 84), M Zaidan-Jones, H Guerrier – S Selver. Substitutes not used: J Brenko, E Garland, K Robinson, K Telusma. Booked: Jean, Francois.

Referee: R Vindas (Costa Rica).