US Field Hockey News

USA Field Hockey Women Conclude Selection Tour with Win Over Canada; Olympic Qualifying Team Announced

STANFORD, Calif. – The USA Field Hockey national women's team concluded a nine-game sweep of opponents with a 4-0 victory over Canada as head coach Beth Anders announced her squad for March's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in New Zealand.

Anders used the nine-game tour against Ireland and Canada at Stanford Univ. to make her final selections for the team that will represent the USA at the Olympic Qualifier, March 18-29 in Auckland. The USA must finish among the top five teams at the 10-team qualifier to advance to the 2004 Olympic Games.

The 18-member USA team includes 2000 Olympic Qualifier veterans Kate Barber (West Chester, Pa.), Katie Beach (West Lawn, Pa.), Tracey Fuchs (Centereach, N.Y.), Tara Jelley (Greenfield, Mass.), Tracey Larson (Morrisville, Pa.) and goalkeeper Peggy Storrar (Mahopac, N.Y.).

The six USA veterans will be joined on the qualifier team by fellow Pan American Games team members Kelli Gannon (Escondido, Calif.), Carrie Lingo (Rehobath Beach, Del.), Kristen McCann (Allentown, Pa.), Dina Rizzo (Walpole, Mass.), Keli Smith (Selinsgrove, Pa.), Amy Tran (Grantville, Pa.) and 1999 Pan Am silver medallist Mimi Smith (Virginia Beach, Va.).

The team also includes some of the newest members to the USA squad including April Fronzoni (Larksville, Pa.), Kristi Gannon (Escondido, Calif.), Meredith Keller (Wilmington, Del.), Angie Loy (Loysville, Pa.) and Tiffany Snow (Escondido, Calif.). Fronzoni, Keller, Loy and Snow all made their first official senior team appearances during the series with Ireland and Canada, while Gannon made a return to the team after earning six career caps as a member of the 2000 Pan American Cup squad.

The team will leave for Australia in mid-February to continue its pre-Qualifier training before heading on to New Zealand and the Olympic Qualifier. At the Qualifier, the USA will begin play in Pool B with Korea, Spain, Japan and Russia. Pool A includes top-seed Great Britain, Germany, New Zealand, Ireland and Ukraine.

In the final game against Canada, Loy scored two goals to help give the USA a four-game sweep of its neighboring rivals. Loy put the USA on the scoreboard early in the first half and the team held on to the slim 1-0 advantage throughout the first half. Barber increased the USA lead to 2-0 with a field goal in the first minute of the second half, before Loy connected on another goal four minutes later for a 3-0 USA lead. McCann concluded the scoring with her sixth goal of the tour with a penalty corner goal in the 50th minute.

During the nine-game series, the USA outscored its opponents 25-4, with McCann and Fuchs each collecting six goals. Barber added four scores for the USA while Fronzoni and Loy added two goals each.

Jan 24 at Stanford, 2 p.m.
FIH Official Match

USA 4, Canada 0
USA: Angie Loy (FG, 6:00)
USA: Kate Barber (FG, 36:00)
USA: Angie Loy (FG, 40:00)
USA: Kristen McCann (PC, 50:00)

Cards: CAN - Andrea Rushton (G, 33:00), USA - Carrie Lingo (G, 68:00)

Umpires: Jade Carvahol, Audra Zaremba

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USA 2004 Olympic Qualifier Team