2010 YOuth Pan American CHAMPIONSHIP
Updated on March 21, 2010
Bronze Medal Match vs Chile
March 20, 2010
USA 7, Chile 1
The USA Field Hockey Women's Under-17 National Team defeated Chile, 7-1, to claim the bronze medal at the 2010 Youth Pan American Championship in Montevideo, Uruguay. Maxine Fluharty scored two goals to lead the USA.
"We wanted to finish with a strong statement," said Head Coach Shellie Onstead. "I was proud of the commitment to the game plan and strong execution. Everyone contributed today for a great team effort."
The USA avenged their 2-0 loss to Chile in round-robin play with a dominant performance that saw the USA take a 4-0 lead into halftime. Jordan Page started the scoring in the 8th minute, followed by Aileen Johnson, Abby Beltrani and Allison Evans. Chile's Raffaela Molinairi notched a goal in the 54th minute, but Fluharty's two second half goals and one more from Katerine Gerzabek gave the USA an impressive victory.
"The team feels a bronze medal is a great accomplishment for our limited time together," said team captain Laura Gebhart. "To be able to play Chile for the final game was an opportunity to redeem ourselves"
Argentina defeated Canada 6-1 to take the gold.
Congratulations to the Baby States!
Blog - March 18
Today is finally game day against Argentina. We woke up around 9 oclock and did our running and stretching to loosen up our legs before the big game. But like the morning of our game against Uruguay we did a nice walk along the beach. While walking we went on a sea shell hunt but we found a lot more than sea shells. There was also a lot of dead fish which made the beach smell! After our jog we went to breakfast where we had plenty of croissants!!!!! The kitchen staff at our hotel did not run out this time.
After breakfast we had a team meeting to watch our opponets playing style. After watching the film we all were a little antsy and just wanted to go out and play the game.
After our meeting we had free time where some tried to get a little work done. But honestly no one could concentrate at that point because everyone was so excited.
After the meeting we went to Don Peperone. That is all We have to say about lunch.
After lunch we had our pre-game meeting. We went over what we though we had to do inorder to win. Shellie gave us a very inspirational speech about the game. She told us how we are the future and how we could change the way the world sees US Field Hockey. After this speech no one and I mean no one on the team could sit still.
We finally got to the field and we were all so psyched to play! But unfortunately we fell to them 3 -1. However we definitely hung tough with them and we were tied for much of the game. We definitely mastered the ladyshave.They were very skilled individually and as a team!!
After the game we went to dinner at La Pasiva. It was delicous!
A positive thought to the loss is that we get another shot at Chile. I know that we Are all very excited for this game and are ready for revenge!!!!!
Let's Go USA!!
Katie Gerzabek # 10
Allison Evans # 2
Elizabeth Fedele # 13
Blog - March 17
On Wednesday we had another rest day. It was most definitely needed and well deserved after our hard work and great playing against Uruguay the night before. We were able to sleep in and then go to breakfast where we again all ate at least 2 to 3 croissants each. One morning they even ran out of them to serve to us!
After our usual morning breakfast we had a team meeting about our game against Uruguay the night before. We got to see our mistakes but more importantly how well we played to beat the Uruguay team.
After the meeting we had practice. We worked on things that would prepare us for our game against Argentina the following day. I think overall we had a good practice and were defintely prepared for probably the biggest game of our careers.
After practice we got money and were able to go get whatever we wanted for lunch. After lunch some people went shopping and others did the mounds and mounds of homework that they were assigned.
Finally we had dinner at Garcia and had Uruguayan style dinner. It was delicous! Finally to finish off our day we watched the movie Miracle as a team. It definitely got us pumped up to play Argentina the following day!
After Miracle everyone settled in for the night and prepared for the biggest game of our lives! GO USA!!!!
Katie Gerzabek # 10
Allison Evans # 2
Elizabeth Fedele #13
SEMIFINAL vs ARGENTINA
March 18, 2010
The USA Field Hockey Women's Under-17 National Team fell to Argentina, 3-1 on Thursday in a semifinal contest at the 2010 Youth Pan American Championship.
Argentina captain Fatima Camila Bustos scored first, but Emily Wold leveled the scored in the 23rd minute on a penalty corner deflection. The USA held on through the second half, but Argentina's Miaria Mama scored in the 50th minute and Maria Jimena Cedres added another goal just a minute later to pull away.
"Argentina played with a high level of speed and power," said Head Coach Shellie Onstead. "We did well to match it most of the time, but in the end we lacked their level of execution."
The USA will face Chile in the bronze medal match on Saturday. Argentina and Canada will play for the gold.
GAME THREE vs URUGUAY
March 16, 2010
USA 3, Uruguay 2
The USA Women's Under-17 Team defeated host nation Uruguay, 3-2, on Tuesday, in their third game of competition at the 2010 Youth Pan American Championship in Montevideo, Uruguay. Emily Wold, Allison Evans and Laura Gebhart scored for the USA.
"For an under-17 team to handle a very hostile environment and boisterous crowd and come away with a 3-2 win is tremendous," said Head Coach Shellie Onstead. "It bodes well for the future of USA Field Hockey."
The USA opened a one goal lead in the first half off a penalty corner rebound from Wold. The second half was tightly contested, as Evans scored on a rebound off a backhand shot on goal. Uruguay cut the lead to one with a goal ten minutes later, but the Americans answered just 90 second later, as team captain Gebhart scored a goal on a world-class sliding deflection.
“The atmosphere was exhilarating," said Gebhart. "The team kept its composure throughout the match and we were able to finish on some key opportunities in the attacking circle."
The USA completed round-robin play with a record of two wins and one loss. Three of the four teams in Pool B finished with the same record,and final standings were determined by goals.
The USA finish second in Pool B and will face Pool A champion Argentina on Thursday for a spot in the tournament final. Argentina finished round-robin competition undeafted with three wins and outscored opponents 29-1. Chile will face Canada in the second semifinal.
Blog - March 15
On our day off we were not only able to sleep in, but we also got a special gift from daylight savings that allowed us to sleep for one more hour. I would say it was a much needed hour because we were all so mentally and physically exhausted from the day before. After breakfast we had a team meeting where we looked at some film from some of Uruguay's games in order to prepare for our big game the following day. Lunch consisted of a special treat: toasties!! The entire team would definitely consider the toasted ham and cheese sandwiches an exciting change from the usual dining experience at Don Peperone. After lunch we had very productive practice where we attempted to perfect our corners and work together as a team.
The next few hours leading up to dinner consisted of various shopping excursions, the incredible dulce de leche ice cream, homework, or simply a satisfying nap. Mechi and Mano, our trip liaisons, led many of our teammates to some cute stores off the beaten path where we purchased clothes and shoes that were unique to Uruguay.
Dinner at Don Peperone. 'Nuff said!
The following hours included an intense bonding session for little America as we watched "Miracle" on the projector in the conference room. I think it is safe to say that watching that movie in a foreign country while representing the United States on a hockey team gave the film a whole new meaning. As we chanted USA and cheered throughout the movie, many of us got goosebumps. Inspired, excited, and completely psyched for our match against Uruguay, Baby States went off to bed ready to face the challenge of the home country and it's boisterous crowd.
Go Baby States!
Sydney Kirby #15
Letitia Nichols #21
Kelsey Harbin #11
BLOG - March 14
The team woke up for a light jog and stretch with Pam. We enjoyed a nice breakfast at the hotel and had a meeting to discuss the logistics for our game tonight against Chile. After a lunch at Don Peperone, which is turning into our kitchen because of the amount of times that we have eaten there, we were all excited for the game.
We fell to Chile 2 to 0. It was a tough loss, especially with the amount of scoring opportunities we did not capitalize on. After the game, Pam took us through a series of stretches in the pool, we ate a meal of raviolis at the Club and we got a chance to see some of the Uruguay vs. Bermuda game. That was beneficial for us, because we were able to get a chance to see Uruguay’s style of play. We then returned to the hotel to recover from a long day.
We have a lot of work to do and we are looking forward to playing Uruguay on Tuesday.
By: Debi-Michelle Jantzen, Abby Beltrani and Jordan Page
GAME TWO vs CHILE
March 14, 2010
Chile 2, USA 0
Starters |
Reserves |
Abby Beltrani |
Lauren Bernardi |
Debi-Michelle Jantzen |
Allison Evans |
Hannah Barreca |
Kelsey Harbin |
Laura Gebhart |
Emily Wold |
Colleen Boyce |
Sydney Kirby |
Katie Gerzabek |
|
Kelsey Smither |
|
Maxine Fluharty |
|
Jordan Page |
|
Aileen Johnson |
|
Maddy Carpenter |
DAY TWO BLOG
Hi from Uruguay! Today was day four of our tour to Montevideo, Uruguay and also our first game day. We played our first pool game against Bermuda and beat them 11-0.
The day began with a nice jog and warm up stretch along the river's coast. On the walk back to the hotel there was an incident where someone stepped in wet cement leaving a huge footprint right in the middle of the sidewalk. Sydney, our translator, had to go back and tell the construction workers what happened. The best translation she could come up with was, "there's a foot in the wet floor". Luckily the man knew what she was talking about and jokingly told her to smooth it out with a spoon.
After our morning jog, we went back to the hotel for breakfast. The meals are very different here; dulce de leche is at every meal in some form. The dulce de leche ice cream with chocolate chips is unlike anything you have ever tasted. We have been eating at this restaurant, Don Peperone, across the street for many of our meals and it is usually a buffet of traditional Uruguayan dishes. We have a hard time explaining to the waiters that we do not want tap water and no ice. Overall, the language barrier makes it a little difficult to communicate with anyone. However, the people here are amazing and so patient when we try and communicate with hand signals.
Before we knew it, it was time to play. Everyone got on the field and warmed up and then we went behind the bench to put on, for most of us, our first USA jerseys. It was a very exciting experience that we will never forget. Then we walked out to the middle of the field where we all stood side by side with our hand placed across our chest while facing our flag for the national anthem. We all got chills as we stood baffled by the experience; definitely a moment that none of us will ever forget.
After our game, we all took a dip in the club pool where we played an intense game of water polo; it got a little physical. We also ate dinner at the club. While waiting for the blue line, our tour bus, Maxine, Abby, and Jordan decided to throw on their rain pants and dance around for us. Look on Twitter for the videos!
Tomorrow we will face Chile for our second game of the Tournament, wish us luck!
p.s. do not touch light bulbs in Uruguay especially when they are off, they will electrocute you.
GO LITTLE AMERICA!
Hannah Barreca # 4
Kelsey Smither (Smitty) # 12
Colleen Boyce # 8
GAME ONE vs BERMUDA
March 13, 2010
USA 11, Bermuda 0
The USA scored eleven goals as they defeated Bermuda in their first game of competition at the Youth Pan American Champsionship in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Allison Evans scored three goals to pace the USA. Laura Gebhart, Colleen Boyce and Katie Gerzabek each scored two goals; Aileen Johnson and Lauren Bernardi each added a goal.
The USA will face Chile Sunday in their second game of round-robin play.
Starters |
Reserves |
Allison Evans
|
Lauren Bernardi |
Debi-Michelle Jantzen |
Mazine Fluharty |
Hannah Barreca |
Kelsey Harbin |
Laura Gebhart |
Emily Wold |
Colleen Boyce |
Maddy Carpenter |
Katie Gerzabek |
|
Kelsey Smither |
|
Elizabeth Fedele |
|
Sydney Kirby |
|
Aileen Johnson |
|
Lydia Nichols |
Uruguay Trip!
After our training in Maryland we all got on our hot khakis and plain white shirts and were all pumped to go on a plane for twenty two hours. During our layovers we used up our time by playing intense hacky sack. Although we were not very good it was fun and great bonding.
We were unprepared for the amount of mosquitoes and the heat that we encountered. The same night we scrimmaged the Uruguay Senior National team. We held our own against them. The scrimmage was cut short because the lights on the field went out. But we were still able to take strokes and do corners with the little light we had. We did well and beat them in corners.
On our day off we toured the city of Montevideo. On our tour we were able to get a taste of the culture. It was very interesting trying to communicate with the locals. But our liaisons Mechi and Mano helped us out.
We have had some difficulty adjusting to the food here. Everyone on the team seems to be only bread... and a lot of it.
We are looking forward to playing our first real match against Bermuda!
-- Maddy Carpenter
CHULA VISTA, CA - The USA Field Hockey Women's Under-17 National Team will head to Montevideo, Uruguay for competition in the 2010 Pan American Youth Championship, scheduled from March 13 to 20. Head Coach Shellie Onstead will lead the team.
The USA will face traditional Pan American rivals Argentina, Canada, Chile and Mexico in the eight-team tournament. Players born in 1993 and 1994 are eligible for competition. The 2010 Pan American Youth Championship serves as the continental qualifier for the 1st Youth Olympic Games, to take place in Singapore this summer.
“I’ve been looking at the pools and the competition, and I think it will look like a typical Pan American tournament at any level,” said Onstead. “We have to pay attention to Argentina. We have to pay attention to Canada, and we can’t take Chile lightly. On paper, we look like we should finish in the top four.”
The roster features Laura Gebhart, who served on the USA Junior World Cup Team at the 2009 BDO Women’s Junior World Cup in Boston. Gebhart scored two goals in that tournament.
“Laura Gebhart is becoming a very effective forward,” said Onstead. “She’ll be leading the pack on the front lines. Allie Evans is going to be quite helpful as well. Kelsey Smither will be one of our main players in the back.”
The U.S. will compete in Pool B of the tournament against Chile, Bermuda and host Uruguay. Argentina, Canada, Mexico and Paraguay are in Pool A. Crossovers will be played on Thursday, March 18 with classification matches on Saturday, March 20. Round-robin competition for the USA:
- Saturday, March 13 v Bermuda - 16:05
- Sunday, March 14 v Chile - 16:05
- Tuesday, March 16 v Uruguay - 19:05
In preparation, the team will hold a two-day training camp at the University of Maryland from March 8-9. The team recently completed a training camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA.
“On Sunday we head to the University of Maryland and have two full days of training,” said Onstead. “We’ll have three or four sessions of training before we fly to Uruguay.”
For more information on the 2010 Pan American Youth Championship, visit the official tournament website at panamhockey.org.