Bermuda's women's national soccer team will be playing for more than pride when they take on visiting New York Hotas today . . . they will also be challenging for a spot on Bermuda's Island Games squad.

Starting this morning (10 a.m.), Vance Brown's squad will play the visiting US team, who arrived on the Island last night, at Bernard Park in the first of three meetings between the two teams over the next two days. The two sides will then meet again at the National Sports Centre tonight, beginning at 6.00.

The visiting Hotas will also square off against a local women's league and high school selects during their brief tour.

"This is actually going to be our final warm-up before we select the final 20 players," Brown explained. "Therefore, now is the time for players to impress if they haven't already because we are taking these matches very seriously."

The tour will provide Brown's charges with a final opportunity to gauge themselves against overseas opposition before they depart for the Island Games in the Shetlands in July.

"This will be a good test for us because we will play five matches in six days at the Island Games," Brown added. "So this will allow us to see where our fitness level is at and where we need to go from here."

The Island's women are about to come up against an in-form Hotas side challenging for all the top honours in their league overseas.

"It's always best to bring in a quality team to gauge exactly where we are and how far it is we still need to go," said Brown. "It doesn't make any sense bringing in a team we know we can beat. Therefore our preparations have to be first class."

Brown and his assistants will keep a close eye on the local squad that will be reduced from 36 to 20 next week. And with all of the squad's overseas-based players back for the weekend assignment, the coach is confident his team will rise to the challenge.

"The harmony within the team is fairly good and can only get better over time," he noted. "And with our college players back this should give us the added drive we need once they blend in."

Brown was referring to the likes of 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup veterans Nicole Jones, Sakena and Catherine Clarke, Waynesha Bean, Tiffany Swan and Nakita Dill.