USA Field Hockey News

USA Field Hockey Women cruise past Canada in pool play finale; Pan Am semifinals up next

Captain Kate Barber scored two goals in the USA's 6-0 win over Canada

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Five players accounted for six U.S. goals as the USA Field Hockey women cruised to a 6-0 win over Canada to complete pool play undefeated and head into Saturday’s semifinal as the top seed in Pool B.

The USA will meet the loser of Thursday’s late Argentina/Chile match in Saturday’s 5 p.m. semifinal while the Argentina/Chile winner will meet Netherlands Antilles in the first semifinal at 3 p.m.

Already assured of the top seed in Pool B before the match began, U.S. coach Lee Bodimeade dismissed any notion that his team would get caught looking head to the semifinals.

“I’ve never ever come across an international hockey game that didn’t mean anything,” said Bodimeade who won an Olympic silver medal as a member of the Australian Olympic team. “We came into this game fully expecting a good performance from Canada and we knew they would play their hearts out, especially against the USA. There’s a lot of pride there between the two nations and I’m pleased with the result.”

The USA again distributed the scoring opportunities with  captain Kate Barber collecting two goals while Carrie Lingo (Rehoboth Beach, Del.), Kelly Doton (Greenfield, Mass.), Tiffany Snow (Escondio, Calif.) and Dana Sensenig (Denver, Pa.) also scored for the USA.

“It’s unreal,” said Barber on the team’s chemistry. “That’s one thing about this team, we have fun and we play for each other and I think it shows on the field.” 

Lingo opened the scoring in the tenth minute when she slipped in a penalty corner pass for her fourth goal of the tournament. Barber answered with back-to-back goals in the 21^st and 29^th minutes to give the USA a 3-0 halftime lead.

The USA continued its domination in the second half when Doton collected her third goal of the tournament off of a penalty corner and Snow chipped in a field goal in the 47^th minute. Sensenig concluded the scoring when she tapped in a penalty corner from the right post in the 58^th minute.

U.S. goalkeeper Amy Tran (Grantville, Pa.) had another quite day as she faced just three shots on the day.

With its spot in the semifinals, the USA returns to familiar ground as the team tries to earn a spot in the championship final for the fifth time in six Pan American Games tournaments.

 “We have this belief in ourselves that we can get the job done,” said Barber on the team’s upcoming classification matches. “I think we’re really determined and we know exactly what we need to do to get to where we want to be and that’s in the finals.”

USA 6, Canada 0
USA: Carrie Lingo (PC, 10:00)
USA: Kate Barber (FG, 21:00)
USA: Kate Barber  (FG, 29:00)
USA: Kelly Doton (PC, 42:00)
USA: Tiffany Snow (FG, 47:00)
USA: Dana Sensenig (PC, 58:00)

USA Starters: Angie Loy (Loysville, Pa.), Kelly Doton (Greenfield, Mass.),  Rachel Dawson (Berlin, N.J.), Tiffany Snow (Escondio, Calif.), Keli Smith (Selinsgrove, Pa.), Carrie Lingo (Rehoboth Beach, Del.), Kate Barber (West Chester, Pa.), Amy Tran (Grantville, Pa.), Kayla Bashore (Shoemakersville, Pa.), Lauren Crandall (Doyelstown, Pa.), Lauren Powley (Mountaintop, Pa.)

Reserves: Sarah Dawson (Berlin, N.J.), Katelyn Falgowski (Landenberg, Pa.), Michelle Kasold (Chapel Hill, N.C.), Melissa Leonetti (Erdenheim, Pa.), Dana Sensenig (Denver, Pa.)

Sun Safe Play!: USA Field Hockey and the USA National Team promote healthy and sun-smart decisions through their sun safety program, Sun Safe Play. Dedicated to the memory of former field hockey coach and USA team member Maria Whitehead and in partnership with the Melanoma International Foundation, Sun Safe Play seeks to educate young athletes on the prevention and detection of melanoma and skin cancer. Whitehead died of cancer in November 2006 at the age of 25.

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USA Field Hockey 2007 Pan American Games Team

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