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Tagliente, Welsh Added to U.S. Women's National Team Roster

February 14

Two women who helped the U.S. Women's Under-21 team qualify for the FIH Junior World Cup, may now be asked to do the same for the women's National Team.

Carla Tagliente and Autumn Welsh have been added to the U.S. National Squad  roster as the team attempts to qualify for the FIH Women's World Cup, Nov. 26- Dec 8, 2002 in Perth, Australia. The two players were added to the 20-player U.S. squad following a supplemental team trial, Feb. 10-12 at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.

Teammates at the Univ. of Maryland last season, Tagliente and Welsh both played on the U.S. Women's Under-21 Team that earned a second place finish at the Junior Pan American Championships and earned the U.S. a spot in this year's Junior World Cup. The Junior World Cup is scheduled for May 14-26 in Buenos Aires.

A 2000 first team All-America selection and Honda Award finalist at Maryland, Tagliente enters her fifth year as a member of the U.S. National Team. She earned a silver medal at the 1999 Pan American Games and was named the U.S. Field Hockey Female Athlete of the Year in 1997.

Welsh earned second team All-America honors in 2000 and scored three goals at last year's Pan American Junior Championships. She was first selected to the U.S. Field Hockey elite teams as a member of the Under-19 Team in 1998.

Under head coach Tracey Belbin, the U.S. Team will attempt to qualify for the 2002 World Cup at the inaugural Americas Cup, March 8-18, in Kingston, Jamaica. The winner of the tournament will earn an automatic berth in the World Cup. If necessary, the U.S. will get an additional chance to qualify at the World Cup Qualifying Tournament, Sept. 18-30 in Abbeville, France. The top seven teams from the Qualifier will earn spots in the World Cup.