A 2-1 loss to Guyana resulted in Bermuda women’s hockey team just missing out on a medal as they finished fourth in the Pan American Challenge at the National Sports Centre on Saturday with Mexico crowned champions.

The Mexicans were made to work hard for their victory, eventually overcoming Paraguay 4-2 on penalties after the two teams could not be separated at 2-2 at the end of 60 minutes of pulsating action.

Winning the Pan Am Challenge means Mexico secure an automatic spot to next year’s Pan American Cup in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Earlier in the day, Georgia Harris gave Bermuda a great chance to win bronze when she gave the home side the lead in the 23rd minute.

Having put all the energy in their 2-1 victory over Brazil the night before, the Bermudians could not keep the young Guyana side at bay with goals from Madison Fernandes and Abosaide Cadogan securing the bronze for the Caribbean side.

Kovin Moodley, the Bermuda coach, commended his players for putting up a great fight against Brazil, which ensured local fans were kept interested up to the last day of the action.

“I’m exceptionally proud of the girls,’’ Moodley told The Royal Gazette.

“The level of trust that they had, the commitment to each other, the faith in the game plan and the way we want to play, and the culture that we've been able to create among the team.

“We've got such a healthy team environment, and that allows us to continue making strides moving forward as a collective. That’s what makes me the most happy and proud as a coach.

“Being able to play on the last day came down to that Friday. The ladies put themselves under a lot of pressure to make sure that we were able to get a result against Brazil.

“That just gave me a feeling that they wanted to push for more. It’s a nice place to be as a coach when you know your team is with you, and they want to fight for places and results.

“Playing a fifth game of a tournament is tough when the body is heavy, and you have a bit of mental and physical fatigue.

“There were small margins at the end of the game against Guyana. It was very scrappy in the way the game was played, but we went a goal up quite early.

“Unfortunately, we just conceded two goals later on in the game. We took a couple of gambles to try to get a result by taking the goalkeeper off, so we played with 11 outfield players.

“It’s a bit of a risk, we wanted to try to get something back in the last moments of the game.”

The team is expected back in action early next year when they embark on the qualification process for the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games, as well as the 2028 Olympics.

“We have the Olympic Games qualifiers and the CAC Games qualifiers that are coming up next year,’’ the coach said.

“That’s the new target for the team, so it would require us to have a sit down and determine the best way forward. There isn't much turnaround time, this is stuff that will happen in the near future.

“It’s very exciting for the national team, it’s the fourth tournament in four years for the women and it keeps the momentum for them going.

“We are heading into that CAC Games qualifier as the previous winners. We’re not just looking to take the women, we’re also looking to take the men’s team as well.

“As a federation, we are making big strides at the highest level here. That is something for everyone to look forward to.”