USFHA: USA Field Hockey has announced its roster for the women's BDO Hockey Junior World Cup, from 14-25 September, in Santiago, Chile.
Selected during USA Field Hockey's Elite Team Trials from 21-24 July at Penn State Univ., the U.S. team of under 21 athletes will enter the 16-team Junior World Cup as the No. 9 seed. The USA will begin play in Pool A with top-seeded The Netherlands, No. 8 England and No. 16 Zimbabwe.
Of the 18 athletes selected to the Junior World Cup team, 15 competed on the U.S. team that placed second at the Junior Pan American Championships in March in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The team placed second at the event to secure the USA a spot in the Junior World Cup.
The U.S. team features three players coming off U.S. senior team appearances at the Rabobank Hockey Champions Challenge held earlier in July in Virginia Beach. Junior World Cup selections Lauren Crandall, Lauren Powley and Katie O'Donnell played key roles in the USA's fifth place finish at the international event. Crandall and Powley started all six games for the USA senior team while 16-year-old O'Donnell scored a goal in the USA's 5-3 win over Spain in the tournament's 5th/6th place game.
Coached by two-time Olympian and current Univ. of Michigan assistant coach Tracey Fuchs, the USA team also includes goalkeepers Katherine Blair and Brianna O'Donnell in addition to field players Laree Beans, Rachel Dawson, Lauren Ehrlichman, Katie Evans, Katelyn Falgowski, Katie Grant, Lori Hillman, Michelle Kasold, Mia Link, Cara-Lynn Lopresti, Heather Schnepf, Amy Stopford and Jamie Whitten.
The fall scheduling of the Junior World Cup means the U.S. athletes will miss a portion of their collegiate or high school seasons prompting a generous move from the coaches to allow the athletes to participate and continue the development of the U.S. national team.
The USA has qualified for the quadrennial event in three of the four previous editions of the Junior World Cup. The USA's best finish was a 10th place showing in 1989. The USA placed 12th in 1997 and 14th in 2001.
Korea is the defending Junior World Cup champion after winning the event in Buenos Aires in 2001.
