COUVA, Trinidad - Deon McCaulay scored three goals and led Belize to a 5-2 victory over Montserrat on Wednesday in the first qualifying match for the 2014 World Cup.
McCaulay gave Belize the lead in the 24th minute and, after Jay Hodgson equalized a minute before halftime, Harrison Roches restored the advantage in the 50th.
Elroy Kuylen added the insurance in the 53rd and McCaulay tacked on his final pair in the 74th and 82nd.
Hodgson scored a second goal for Montserrat in the 85th.
The match was played in Ato Boldon Stadium in Trinidad with the second leg set for the Belizean capital of Belmopan on Sunday.
The winner between Montserrat, listed 202nd and last in the monthly FIFA World Rankings, and Belize, 172nd, will advance along with Bermuda and the winners of four other preliminary round pairings to the first group stage of CONCACAF qualifying.
The first group stage, set for the fall of the year, will consist of 24 teams divided into six, four-team groups.