A strike from Phoenix Williams in added time secured Bermuda a spot in the semi-finals of the Caribbean Football Union Girls Under-14 Challenge Series in Trinidad & Tobago on Tuesday.

Bermuda fought back to draw 1-1 with Aruba, with a point enough for Don Vickers’s side to go through on goal difference alongside group winners Jamaica.

Williams received a pass from the impressive Avery Taylor and showed great composure to hammer the ball over the goalkeeper’s head for the equaliser.

Vickers was pleased by the fighting spirit displayed by the players to earn a draw.

“It’s exciting for the girls and I’m excited as well,” the coach told The Royal Gazette.

“As I always tell the girls I’m never satisfied. We went to the semi-finals in Tier II two years ago, now we’re in the semi-finals of Tier I. I’m excited but we still have a lot of work to do.

“My objective as a national coach is to is to get us to the highest level and I’m always going to push the girls to improve and to represent Bermuda. We are playing Dominican Republic in the semi-finals on Friday. It will be a tough game but we’ll be ready.”

Aruba dominated the first half and hit the crossbar in the sixteenth minute. Ten minutes later, Bermuda goalkeeper Kyra Simmons made a brilliant save from a free kick.

Simmons was called into action again to save Djadja Jansen’s effort two minutes into the second half.

As Bermuda started making their presence felt, Priya Dill saw her effort go wide and five minutes before Mia DaPonte’s goal’s attempt went agonisingly wide.

Against the run of play, Aruba won a free kick on the edge of the box. Up stepped Jansen, whose effort was superbly stopped by Simmons, but Pedra was the first to react and had an easy task of tapping the ball into the net.

Had the scoreline remained that way, Aruba would have leapfrogged Bermuda but island’s girls never gave up and Taylor’s quick thinking allowed Williams to pull her side level with the last kick of the game.