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US Field Hockey U23 Team to Tour South Africa

Colorado Springs (July 24) – The U.S. Field Hockey women’s under-23 team will conclude its 2002 schedule with a tour of South Africa, July 28 – August 9 in Johannesburg.

      Under the direction of head coach Tess Ellis, the team will play a schedule of six games against local club and provisional teams.

      “The more international games these girls play, the better for the future of the national program,” says Ellis, who also serves as an assistant coach for the U.S. senior team.   “They need to become better students of the game.  They need hands on experience.  To get a chance to watch live games of higher standard and to get a chance to play against these teams can only make them stronger overall players.”

      Following the tour, the majority of the U23 players will rejoin their college teams for the fall season. However, some members of the team will participate in U.S. Field Hockey’s open trial, August 10-12, for a chance to join the U.S. National Team in its residency program in Virginia Beach.

      “We have a few players trying out for the residency program upon their return from South Africa,” says Ellis.   “I hope this trip will enable them to build on the experience they gained at the indoor qualifier. They need to come into the trials ready to compete and push the current residency players to train harder for their positions on the national team.”

      Athletes from the U23 team who could appear at the open trial with hopes of joining the national team include Abby Martin (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), Lauren Mazziotto (Sewell, N.J.), Dina Rizzo (Walpole, Mass.) and Abbey Woolley (Ocean City, N.J.).

      The U23 roster for the South Africa tour includes two current members of the national team in Robyn Kenney (Readington, N.J.) and Amy Tran (Grantville, Pa.) who competed in the World Cup qualifying series with India in June. The U.S. defeated India in the best-of-three series to advance to the 2002 World Cup, Nov. 24-Dec. 8 in Perth, Australia.

      The U.S. roster also includes Marcie Boyer (Dillsburg, Pa.), April Fronzoni (Larksville, Pa.), Stephanie Fuller (No. Potomac, Md.), Kristi Gannon (Escondido, Calif.), Kim Gogola (Whitehouse Station, N.J.), Kelsey Keeran (Columbus, Ohio), Meredith Keller (Wilmington, Del.), Natalie Martirosian (Richmond, Va.), Lindsay Miller (Gap, Pa.) and Barb Weinberg (Louisville, Ky.).

      In addition to the South Africa tour, the U.S. under-23 team earned a third place finish at the Indoor Pan American Cup in February, and participated in the United Airlines Field Hockey League during the summer.     

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