When Liz Stewart steps onto the turf at Parque del Este Hockey Stadium against Barbados in Bermuda’s opening match at the Central American and Caribbean Games on Sunday, it will be her 50th international appearance.

Stewart has appeared 49 times in Bermuda colours, making her the most capped women’s hockey player. Her team-mate, Megan Troake, is on 42 caps, while former captain LaKae Tavares, who retired in 2024, played 35 times for her country.

The seasoned player has been a crucial member of the team in qualifying for successive CAC Games editions and is looking forward to playing again.

“I’m very excited about playing my 50th match for Bermuda at the CAC Games,” Stewart told The Royal Gazette.

“This will definitely be my last tournament for Bermuda. I feel like we have a great team and we've got a really good shot at this one. It’s just great to be still part of the team. This will be our fifth tournament in four years, so it’s been a great four years.

“I’ve enjoyed probably the best four years of my playing career for Bermuda and the last four have been the best.

Stewart could have had more caps had she not stepped back from the sport between 2011 and 2021.

“I missed a couple of tournaments when I switched to triathlon and took a break from hockey,” she said.

“I then came back in 2021 when we trained for the CAC Games qualifiers at home in 2022 and we qualified.”

With Bermuda in the same group as Barbados, Jamaica and Cuba, the dependable player believes that they have what it takes to finish in the top two.

“Realistically, I think we have a great shot at coming second in our pool, which means it’ll put us in the top four play-offs,” the 54-year-old said.

“That’s our goal and I think we can definitely do it. We have to beat Barbados and Jamaica, go out there and show our best game and that will give us the success that we’re after.

“Cuba are pretty highly ranked, they came second to Mexico at the last CAC Games. I wouldn’t expect to beat Cuba, but we can definitely beat Barbados as we lost only 3-2 to them last time.

“We beat Jamaica in the qualifiers and then we drew with them at the CAC Games so we know that we can beat them, we just have to go out there and do it.”

As one of the senior players in the team, Georgia Harris is eagerly anticipating her second appearance at the CAC Games.

“I think it’s going to be a good tournament and I’m looking forward to it,” the 31-year-old forward said.

“It’s going to be a challenge, but we’ve been putting in a lot of work on and off the pitch. I’m hoping I can score a goal a game, or at least assist. Sometimes an assist is better. I don’t mind if I don’t score as long as we win the game and we play well.”

Goalkeeper Christina Stephens-Weser has been a key member of the team for a number of years. As the only player picked in that position, the Dalhousie University student is expected to feature in every game.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” the 22-year-old said.

“Going back up against teams that we’ve gone against before will be a good chance to see where we are.

“The lessons I drew from the last CAC Games is to have a bigger presence in the goal. I’ve found more of my voice now since then and I need to be louder. I feel less nervous and I know what I’m going into.”