Bermuda 0 Puerto Rico 0

Bermuda were kept in check by a resolute Puerto Rico defence, despite dominating possession and territory in their opening match of the Central American and Caribbean Games qualifiers in Kingston, Jamaica, yesterday.

Chrysda Smith and Renee Greenslade were Bermuda’s most dangerous attacking players, but Bermuda could not find the necessary final touches in the shooting circle to trouble the scoreboard.

“It was tough,” Jasmine Patterson, the Bermuda vice-captain, said. “It was really humid conditions today; stuff we’re not used to back home at this time of the year.

“We had plenty of opportunities, we just didn’t capitalise on them and on any other given day we could have.

“We’re definitely going to come back stronger. We’ve learnt a lot from the first game and now we’ve just got to go back to the drawing board.”

Josefina Freaney, the captain, was Puerto Rico’s most dangerous player and she lifted the ball wide for Marisa Miro in the first quarter, but no one could get on the end of Miro’s drive into the circle.

Smith made a dangerous run into the circle for Bermuda from the right for their best opportunity of the first period.

Patterson began the second quarter with a great pass through the legs of a Puerto Rico defender, but Maha Clarke just failed to control it.

Greenslade was the architect of Bermuda’s best chance of the second period. She was upended after a great run into the circle and LaKae Tavares deflected the resulting penalty corner wide.

Puerto Rico had the better of the going early in the third quarter, but Bermuda were revived after Tavares, the Bermuda captain, and Sheila Vazquez, of Puerto Rico, were both shown green cards after a tussle on the edge of the circle led to a free hit for Bermuda and Vazquez needing treatment on her right knee.

In the fourth quarter, Tihanna Booth played a dangerous ball into the circle, but it was cut out by the defence before it could reach Alex Francis.

Smith then made a surging run down the right, but was halted illegally by Kayla Chapman, resulting in a green card for the Puerto Rico player.

Maya Palacio shot wide not long after earning a penalty corner and Greenslade earned a final set-piece opportunity late on, but, once again, Bermuda’s penalty corner play was lacking.

“The simpler the better,” Patterson said when asked about Bermuda’s strategy from penalty corners going forward. “The pitch isn’t the smoothest, so we get a lot of bobbling balls. We’re going to simplify our short-corner routines and have our sticks on the deck.”

Bermuda take on Guatemala today, with a 3.30pm start. They face Panama on Wednesday, at 9.30am, Guyana on Thursday, at 11.30am, and Jamaica on Saturday at 1pm in their final round-robin game.

Jamaica, the host nation, beat Guatemala 6-0 and are tied at the top of the standings with Guyana, who beat Panama by the same score.

TEAMS

Bermuda: A Dunstan — S Whitter, T Mullan, M Clarke, I Smith, T Booth, L Tavares, K Robinson, R Greenslade, J Patterson, A Francis. Substitutes: M Palacio, K White, A Thomas, C Smith. Green card: Tavares.

Puerto Rico: S Garcia — L Leon, N Bachelet, G Pacheco, J Rivera, K Chapman, M Miro, A Chapman, K Rosa, S Vazquez, J Freaney. Substitutes: K Cruz, B Rivera, A Rodriguez. Green cards: Vazquez, K Chapman.

Umpires: E De Sousa (Canada), C Montino (Chile).