Sugar Boyz Rally After Opener, Draw Aruba 3-3
St. Kitts and Nevis’ Under-14 Sugar Boyz have shown grit through three group-stage matches at the 2026 CFU U14 Challenge Series in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, bouncing back from an opening loss with a statement win before fighting to a dramatic draw this week.
The team opened the tournament on Aug. 17 with a 4-0 defeat to Jamaica in Tier I Group B play. But the young side regrouped quickly, defeating Curacao 4-2 the following day behind a standout performance from captain Alijah Mitchum, who scored a hat-trick to lead the comeback effort.
Mitchum opened the scoring in the fifth minute before Curacao’s Claymar Ocalia leveled the match. Marle Marsham restored St. Kitts and Nevis’ lead, and Mitchum added a second goal to make it 3-1. Curacao’s David Mook pulled his team back into contention, but Mitchum sealed the win with his third goal of the match.
On Aug. 19, the Sugar Boyz closed out group play against Aruba in a match that showcased their resilience. St. Kitts and Nevis fell behind 2-0 before Mitchum again took over, scoring a hat-trick of his own to put his team ahead 3-2. Aruba found a late equalizer to force a 3-3 draw, denying the Sugar Boyz a second win of the tournament.
Across the three matches, Mitchum has emerged as the breakout performer for St. Kitts and Nevis, scoring six goals in the group stage.
The Sugar Boyz were drawn into Tier I Group B alongside Aruba, Curacao and Jamaica, one of three Tier I groups competing for the tournament’s top division. The group stage runs through Aug. 20, with the top finishers from each group advancing to semifinal matches on Aug. 21. A rest day follows on Aug. 22 before the tournament wraps up with the finals on Aug. 23, all played at venues in Punta Cana.
The competition features 24 teams from across the Caribbean, split into seven groups across two tiers, with Tier I made up of St. Kitts and Nevis, Barbados, Bermuda, the Dominican Republic, Martinique, French Guiana, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curacao and Jamaica.
With a win and a draw to their name after a rocky start, the Sugar Boyz will be hoping their group-stage results are enough to carry them into the knockout rounds. St. Kitts and Nevis football supporters will be watching closely as the young squad looks to advance beyond the group stage for the first time in the tournament’s current format.
