Haiti into soccer semis at Youth Olympics; victory for team still reeling from earthquake

Haiti reaches soccer semis at Youth Olympics

SINGAPORE — Haiti has reached the semifinals of the soccer tournament at the Youth Olympics.

Haiti, which was severely damaged by an earthquake in January, had looked likely to make an early exit from the tournament after losing its opening game 9-0. But it rallied to defeat Vanuatu 2-1 on Friday.

Its semifinal opponent will be Singapore, which beat Macedonia 3-2.

The head of Haiti’s games delegation, Fritz Gerald Wong, said the win was “more than a victory.” He said it brought happiness to a team that is still traumatized by the earthquake that left an estimated 300,000 dead.