Yannic Elizee announced his arrival on the biggest stage Sunday afternoon, scoring a hat trick in his first Men’s Premier League championship match to lead Helenites to a 9-2 victory over Raymix FC in the USVISF Big 4 final at Bethlehem Soccer Complex. The 15-year-old U-17 national team player, called up from Helenites’s youth academy for his first season with the men’s team, became the star of a match that was never in doubt.
Helenites claimed their Big 4 title in emphatic fashion, overwhelming a Raymix side still recovering from Saturday’s grueling 120-minute semifinal victory over CAPA.
Elizee set the tone early, scoring his first goal in the 11th minute to give Helenites a 1-0 lead. Cade Winchester doubled the advantage in the 17th minute before Raymix’s Clervens D’Haiti briefly offered hope with a goal that earned him the nickname “giant slayer” from the commentators.
Thoughts of a Raymix comeback evaporated quickly when William Schaffer scored Helenites’s third in the 24th minute and Raejae Joseph made it 4-1 in the 26th. The match turned decisively in the 34th minute when D’Haiti, Raymix’s number 11, received a red card for a tackle from behind on Elizee, reducing the visitors to 10 men.
Playing with a man advantage and brimming with confidence, Helenites continued to blaze forward. Elizee added his second goal in the 40th minute to make it 5-1 at halftime, capping a first-half performance that left commentator Kurtice Lewis asking the teenager if he planned to score more in the second half. Elizee nodded with a laugh.
“It’s a very big game and a very special moment for me and my family,” Elizee said during the halftime interview. “A big deal for my career. It’s just a special moment. Going into this match everyone was saying this is the game I’m going to score and prove myself.”
For Raymix, the fatigue of Saturday’s penalty shootout victory had caught up with them, and now they faced the second half a goal down and a man short.
“It’s all about heart and pride,” commentator Kevin Sheppard said. “Hopefully Raymix can find a way back into this game.”
Helenites’s Elizee completed his hat trick in the 52nd minute to make it 6-1, fulfilling the promise of his halftime nod.
Schaffer assisted Winchester for Helenites’s seventh goal in the 73rd minute. Darnell John converted a penalty kick in the 80th minute to make it 8-1, with substitute goalkeeper Denali Nicholas having replaced starter Whelan Joseph. Schaffer completed his own hat trick in the 88th minute, pushing the score to 9-1.
Raymix earned a consolation penalty in the 89th minute after a foul by Helenites’s number 4. Wood Pierre, wearing number 7 for Raymix, converted the spot kick against Nicholas in the 90th minute to bring the final score to 9-2.
The lopsided result shouldn’t diminish Raymix’s remarkable weekend. The second-seeded St. Thomas’ side upset top-seeded CAPA on penalties Saturday, playing with limited resources and unlimited heart.
For Helenites, the championship validated their balanced roster and tactical approach. Winchester and Schaffer each contributed hat tricks across the tournament’s final two matches, and Elizee proved he belonged on the biggest stage the USVI club soccer calendar offers
St. Croix Source
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