Bermuda finished runners-up at the Concacaf Caribbean Women’s Under-17 qualifying tournament after losing 4-1 to hosts Haiti in the final at the Stade Sylvio Cator in Port-au-Prince last night.

It was the Lady Gombey Warriors’ first defeat having gone unbeaten in the group stage to reach the final and more importantly qualify for next year’s Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship in Nicaragua.

Bermuda were outgunned by their hosts who were backed by a large crowd, with Nia Christopher’s first-half strike proving nothing more than a consolation.

Haiti led 2-1 at half-time and added two more after the break to pull further away.

Aaron Denkins, the interim Bermuda coach, was unavailable for comment after the final whistle.

Denkins was appointed as caretaker coach as Bermuda Under-17 coach Naquita Robinson was unable to make the trip as she is pregnant. Vance Brown, Robinson’s assistant, was also unable to make the trip as he got married on Saturday.

Bermuda were held to a 2-2 draw against Trinidad & Tobago in their tournament opener, but went one better in their final group match with a 3-2 triumph over Jamaica — the island’s first triumph over the Reggae Girlz in the women’s game — to move to the brink of qualifying for next year’s Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship.

Bermuda’s place in Nicaragua was sealed after Jamaica’s 3-1 triumph over Trinidad on Friday.

Haiti and Bermuda clinched the two automatic qualifying spots available, while Puerto Rico claimed the final spot from the Caribbean qualifiers after beating Jamaica 7-6 on penalties in the third-place play-off. The match went to penalties after the teams were deadlocked at 1-1 after extra time.

The third place play-off was held before last night’s final.

Canada, Mexico and the United States join Nicaragua as automatic qualifiers for the eight-team tournament. The final spot will be taken by the winners of the Central American final round qualifying tournament — contested by Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador and host nation Panama — that began yesterday.

LeiLanni Nesbeth was Bermuda’s top scorer in Haiti with three goals, including a double in the draw with Trinidad, while Christopher scored two.

Bermuda are due to arrive back from Haiti tonight.