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U.S. Field Hockey Men's, Women’s Under-16 Teams to Compete In Netherlands Tourney

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.— The U.S. Men's and Women's Under-16 Field Hockey Teams will get a good taste of international field hockey this week when the teams travel to the Netherlands for an Easter Tournament in Valkenswaard.

      The U.S. women will be making their third consecutive trip to Valkenswaard while the men are returning to the tournament for a second appearance. The tournament is scheduled for April 22-23 and is expected to include a top field of under-16 national and club teams from Europe and Canada.

      Women's U16 coach Dee Pasternick will make her first trip with the U16 Team after the squad placed third in each of its previous two appearances.

            "I am very pleased with the way the group came together while we were practicing in North Carolina," says Pasternick.   "Talking with a couple of the returning players, they felt that this group came together very quickly as a team and that in many ways they are better and stronger than last year's team.

"I think this group is very balanced.  They are also very comfortable and confident in each other," added the first year coach. "I am looking for them to have a very good tournament.   I think that the international experience can only make them better and more rounded as players and as individuals. "

Push and the Netherlands East shared the title at last year's tournament after playing to a 0-0 draw in the championship game.

      Selected last summer at the AAU Junior Olympics, the U.S. Women's Under 16-team includes returning members Rosalinda "Chilly" Banuelos (Escondido, Calif.), Lori Hillman (Gibbsboro, N.J.) and Amy Stopford (Hillsborough, N.C.) as well as first time selections

Morgan Albini (Escondido, Calif.), Diana Esposito (Hummelstown, Pa.), Katie Grant (Lehighton, Pa.), Tiffany Marsh (Marathon, N.Y.), Carey Maser (Medford, N.J.), Jennifer

McDavitt (Walpole, Mass.), Brooke Miller (Hummelstown, Pa.), Christy Morgan (Centreville, Va.), Jane Sackovich (Hockessin, Del.), Natalie Singelais (Bow, N.H.), Brooke Townsend (Houston, Texas) and Kelly Wood (Lititz, Pa.)

On the men's side, head coach Shellie Onstead will be leading her second U16 men's team to the tournament. The head coach at the University of California Berkeley, Onstead earned U.S. Field Hockey National Coach of the Year last season for her work in guiding the U.S. men to a fourth place finish at the tournament. Kampong is the defending tournament champion.

      Selected during tryouts in January and early February, the team includes five members returning to the squad for the third straight year. Austin Hargett (Ventura, Calif.), Patrick Harris (Moorpark, Calif.), Sean Harris (Moorpark, Calif.), Eric Hodgdon (Somers Point, N.J.) and Jeb Saez (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) were charter members of the team when the USFHA established the Under-16 men's program in 1998. Neil Bishnoi (Ventura, Calif), Adam Dorn (Ventura, Calif.), Danny Jordan (Camarillo, Calif.) and Brandon Sherman (Moorpark, Calif.) earned their second selections to the team. 

      The newest members of the squad include Chris Fuller (Ventura, Calif.), Gurpal Kundi (Glendora, Calif.), Daniel Mele (Olney, Md.), Navtej Sadhal (Yorba Linda, Calif.), Eric Schanafelt (Georgetown, Calif.), Ryan Sherbourne (Greenfield, Mass.) and 12-year-old goalkeeper Andrew Zayac (Columbia, Md.).

   The Under-16 team represents the first step in an athlete’s elite-team development process and serves to introduce young players to international competition while preparing athletes for future National Team consideration.

      Tournament scores and updates are available at the U.S. Field Hockey website at www.usfieldhockey.com .