The Bermuda team will follow the progress of tonight’s Haiti versus Puerto Rico match in the Caribbean Football Union Under-20 Championships with keen interest as a draw or Haiti win will take Bermuda into the next round of the competition.

Bermuda are in a good position to advance following their 1-0 win over Puerto Rico on Wednesday night at the Stade Sylvio Cator in Haiti where Aaliyah Nolan’s 29th-minute goal separated the teams.

A 24th-minute substitution proved crucial for Bermuda as Teyah Lindo came on for Jahziyah Samuels. The change immediately paid off as Lindo became the provider for the goal as she played a defence splitting pass to Nolan who took a tough with her right foot before cutting back onto her left and firing a low shot into the bottom right corner.

“Having missed a penalty two years ago in Puerto Rico I felt I made up for it,” Nolan said.

Naquita Robinson, the Bermuda coach, said her side deserved to win.

“We controlled the entire match, we were first to every ball and played at a high tempo,” she said.

“Micah Pond at the other end was able to thwart off any attacks the Puerto Ricans managed to have. She made two finger tip saves which frustrated their attackers.”

Puerto Rico looked to have scored an equaliser in the 87th minute following a mixup between Taznae Fubler and Pond but the effort was ruled out offside.

“Captain Zahra Gibbons, Eva Frazzoni, Marley Christian and the young Leah Smith were outstanding throughout the match,” Robinson said. “Leah is playing as a left back, a position she only plays with the Under-20 national team. However she is showing great maturity in that role. She is a player that never gives up.”

If Haiti beat Puerto Rico tonight Bermuda will join the host nation in advancing to the next qualifying group involving the top two teams from group B, which includes Curaçao, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

A draw between Haiti and Puerto Rico will take Bermuda through and leave Haiti needing just a draw against Bermuda on Sunday, while a Puerto Rico victory will throw the group wide open.

“The team as a whole played hard and showed great composure both offensively and defensively,” Robinson said. “The girls felt confident and shook off any nerves they had in the first five minutes. They never sat back and let Puerto Rico play their game.

Said Gibbons, the Bermuda captain: “It felt really good to beat our rivals Puerto Rico whom we’ve lost to twice in the past two years. It wasn’t easy to keep our one goal lead but we all worked together, for each other, and with each other for a positive result.

“Moving forward to the next game, we need to step up and keep the intensity high when we face the hosts Haiti.”

The Haitians are determined to make home advantage count as they begin their mission of qualifying for a World Cup.

“Four years ago we established a goal with Dr [Yves] Jean-Bart [president of Fédération Haïtienne de Football] of qualifying for one World Cup within five years — under-17, under-20 or the senior team,” Shek Borkowski, Haiti’s head coach, said.

“With this group of under-20s, I’ve worked for the last four years, since they were 12, 13-years-old, and the coaches who are here have done a very good job. I think that physically we are ready, technically we are ready and we are making progress,” Borkowski added.

The championship will run until October 23, with the top three teams advancing to the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship to be held in Honduras in December. Borkowski said he feels that Haiti’s ambitious aim of securing a World Cup berth is on track.

“For this tournament, especially being at home, our number one objective is to qualify for the Concacaf tournament,” Borkowski said.

“I know it’s going to be difficult, because I know Jamaica have an experienced team, they have good players.

“But, you know, playing at home I think it will give us a little bit of the edge in terms of supporters, so we are looking here to finish as number one.”