USA Field Hockey News

U.S. National Team member Keli Smith scored two goals to give the
Maryland HPC a 2-1 win over the South HPC.

Pennsylvania/New Jersey, Midwest Earn Spots in Final at USA Field Hockey's Women's National Championships
 

Virginia Beach, Va. – The Pennsylvania/ New Jersey and Midwest High Performance Centers earned spots in Sunday's championship final following Day 4 action at USA Field Hockey's National Championship Tournament.

With one game remaining in round-robin play, PA/NJ and Midwest took some of the suspense out of Saturday's final pool games as they clinched the top two spots in the tournament. PA/NJ defeated California 3-0 to remain undefeated at 4-0-0 (12 pts) while Midwest battled to a 1-1 draw with New England to up its record to 2-0-2 (8 points) and secure to earn its spot in the final.

The championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.

In Thursday's other game, USA National Team member Keli Smith scored two goals to give defending champion Maryland it's first win of the tournament with a 2-1 victory over the South HPC.

Coached by Princeton Univ. head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn, PA/NJ's roster includes current U.S. National Team members Sarah Dawson, Angie Loy and Katie O'Donnell. A 2007 high school grad, O'Donnell (Blue Bell, Pa.) of PA/NJ added to her tournament-leading goal total with one goal in Thursday's victory to raise her total to six goals in four games.

The Midwest squad is coached by Indiana Univ. head coach Amy Robertson and includes National Team members April Fronzoni, Kayla Bashore and goalkeeper Barb Weinberg along with top collegiate stars from Midwestern universities.

Conducted under the format of an international tournament and featuring six elite-level teams of current U.S. national team members and top college players, the Championship continues through Sunday at the USA Field Hockey National Training Center in Virginia Beach.

In addition to the national title, athletes are also competing for spots on the 2007-08 U.S. national team. U.S. Head coach Lee Bodimeade and Technical Director Terry Walsh will announce the selections to the 2007-08 team at the conclusion of the tournament.

USA Field Hockey’s nominations to the U.S. Pan American Games team will also be publicly announced following the tournament. All Pan Am Games team nominations are subject to approval by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).

Complete rosters, schedules and results are available at the USA Field Hockey website at usafieldhockey.com.

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