NORFOLK, Virginia -- Bermuda dominated the first half of Saturday's match played before a sell-out crowd at Old Dominion University Stadium. But they tired noticeably in the second 45 minutes in the face of constant pressure from a lively US outfit.

Shawn Goater, so often Bermuda's goal hero, opened the scoring in the 28th minute when he latched on to a telling cross from Elliott Jennings to slot the ball home from 12 yards out.

But as the US came on strong in the second half, it was substitute Joe-Max Moore who got the home team back on level terms. Moore was quick to pounce on the rebound from a powerful drive from the left by Manny Lagos in the 70th minute.

"They had so much pressure I knew it was just a matter of time before they equalised,'' said Bermuda manager Gary Darrell after the game.

"I thought we played extremely well in the first 45 minutes, but they stepped the game up in the second half.

"They kept coming at us and we had to do a lot of chasing. We only really had one defensive-minded player in our midfield and we lost our shape a bit.'' Darrell, however, said he was pleased with the performance of his players who had found it a little difficult to psych themselves up for a game in which there was nothing on the line. "The US are a good young side and I think we played very well. Elliott Jennings, in particular, had a great game.'' US coach Lothar Osiander also praised Bermuda's performance saying that Bermudian soccer had improved dramatically since he coached the Greek Americans against PHC back in 1985.

"They had us on the run in the first half but I thought we did better in the second half.

"It was a great exercise for us. There is nothing better than competing with skilled players and players with speed. They (Bermuda) lived up to all our expectations.'' Asked if he was pleased with the result, Osiander said, "I thought we should have won, but in a friendly game I suppose it's always nice when it ends in a tie.'' A capacity crowd of 4,200 -- many of them youngsters -- packed the ODU stadium to cheer on their heroes.

But it was Bermuda's Neil Paynter -- well known in Norfolk as a member of the ODU Monarchs soccer team -- who almost became the villain of the piece early on. Only a brilliant save by US 'keeper Brad Friedel prevented his blast from the edge of the penalty box from hitting the back of the US net.

It was all Bermuda at this point, with captain Meshach Wade a tower of strength at the heart of defence.

Goater's goal briefly stunned the partisan crowd into silence but they were cheering moments later when referee Helder Diaz showed Shawn Smith the yellow card and awarded the US a free kick just outside the box.

A powerful drive from Dario Brose sailed over the Bermuda wall towards the top left corner of Dwayne Adams' goal. But, though he saw it late, the Bermuda 'keeper leapt to his right to tip the ball over and dash US hopes of a quick equaliser.

The half ended with an Albert Smith tackle, which prompted the referee to show him the second yellow card of the night.

Goater and Elliott Jennings received similar cautions later in the game -- Goater for a harsh tackle and Jennings for throwing the ball away.

"I thought the decisions were a bit harsh,'' said Darrell, who made three second-half substitutions. US indoor pro David Bascome came on for Paynter's ODU school-mate Paul Cann; Sammy Swan replaced Kyle Ligthbourne; and Phillip Clarke came on in place of Albert Smith.

The US were forced to substitute their leading goal-scorer, Steve Snow, at half-time. Snow, who has scored 24 goals in as many games for the Olympic team, is nursing an injured left knee.

His departure from the field was a big disappointment for the US fans, but substitute Lagos proved a more-than-adequate replacement. He was involved in most of the US team's many second-half attacks, and it was his shot that ultimately led to the equaliser.

Rhett Harty was also a force to be reckoned with, providing several telling crosses and putting a couple of attempts over the bar.

Although unable to dominate as they did early on, Bermuda still caused a few anxious moments for the home team. Lightbourne put a close-range shot just wide after some fine work by Paynter, and Elliott Jennings blasted the ball over the US bar.

It proved to be a good night for US substitutes with Moore getting on the scoresheet for the US 10 minutes after replacing Harty.

Adams performed well between the posts for Bermuda, pulling off a fine save to thwart US hopes of snatching victory in the dying minutes.

Zak Ibsen caused problems down the right flank for Bermuda after coming on to replace Yuri Allnutt. It was he who set up a fine chance for Cobi Jones, who headed wide with just five minutes remaining.

United States: B.Friedel, C.Rast, M.Lapper, A.Lalas, R.Harty (J.M.Moore, 60 mins), E.Imler, M.Burns, C.Jones, D.Brose (M.Sorber, 77 mins), Y.Allnutt (Z.Ibsen, 73 mins), S.Snow (M.Lagos, 45 mins).

Bermuda: D.Adams, M.Wade, N.Paynter, S.Smith, L.Stevens, P.Cann (D.Bascome, 72 mins), K.Jennings, S.Goater, A.Smith (P.Clarke, 76 mins), E.Jennings, K.Lightbourne (S.Swan, 75 mins).

Referee: Helder Diaz.

Men of the match: Dario Brose (United States); Dwayne Adams (Bermuda).

SHAWN GOATER -- Back in the scorer's column.