Lake leads Sint Maarten goal explosion vs. Turks and Caicos

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao – In the second Group A of League C match of the day, Sint Maarten secured their first ever victory in Concacaf Nations League play with an 8-2 triumph over the
Turks and Caicos Islands.

Gerwin Lake scored four goals to lead the effort, giving him nine career CNL goals. The game began at a breakneck pace. In just the second minute of the match, Sint Maarten’s Kael Richards made a nice steal and better leading pass to Gerwin Lake, who fired a rocket
towards goal and beat Turks and Caicos Islands GK Sebastian Turbyfield.

In the 14th minute, Sint Maarten doubled the lead when Lake made a fantastic run and set up
Sergio Hughes, who took one touch to get around Turbyfield and then lashed the ball home to make it 2-0.

In the 18th minute Lake would dribble through much of the TCI defense again, this time saving
the finish for himself, beating Turbyfield at the near post side with a low, powerful strike.

But Turks and Caicos kept fighting and were rewarded in the 37th minute when a long free kick slipped through the Sint Maarten back line and Billy Forbes tucked it past Sint Maarten GK Gikay Croes to make it 3-1.

Sint Maarten added a fourth just before halftime, as Elmer De Vries took a shot that was parried by Turbyfield but fell to Lake, who easily scored the rebound to complete a first half hat-trick in the 44th minute.

But even with only a minute to go before halftime, again Forbes would answer, this time with his head, courtesy of a fine curling cross from Widlin Calixte, ending an absolutely wild first half 4-
2 in favor of Sint Maarten.

The scoring continued in the second half when a beautiful feed from captain Kay Gerritsen gave Hughes his second goal of the game in the 63rd minute. Only a minute later in the 64th,
Hughes added an assist to his resume when Lake headed home his cross to make it 6-2.

Lake drew a penalty in the 67th minute and Key Gerritsen got in on the scoring party with his
first of the day and second of the competition. And finally, right at the death, 21-year-old debutant Kymani Jacobs notched his first ever goal for the national team with a 94th minute finish; he was set up by who else but Lake, the icing on a simply flawless performance.