News Americas, CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Thurs. July 14, 2011: St. Lucia has advanced to the first group round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifier.
Jamil Joseph scored three goals to help hand St. Lucia a 4-2 victory over Aruba on penalties.
It is the third straight World Cup qualifying campaign that St. Lucia, which first entered the competition for the 1994 championship in the United States, has advanced past the initial phase of qualifying.
St. Lucia will join Bermuda, Bahamas, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic in the World Cup qualifying draw on July 30th in Rio de Janeiro. The sides will be draw with 19 other teams into six, four-team groups, the winners of which will advance to the semifinal round of CONCACAF qualifying.
One preliminary round series is still pending. Belize, which beat Montserrat 5-2 in the first leg of their series in Couva, Trinidad, will host its “home leg” on Sunday in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
