Men vs Canada Test Series

GAME FOUR

Monday, November 1

Canada 3, USA 2

By Omar Rawji (www.fieldhockey.ca)

In the fourth and final game of the series against USA on Sunday morning, Team Canada finally came out with the start they wanted, and they built a 2-0 lead by the 26th minute.  The final score was 3-1 Canada after a second half that was a test for the team’s defensive resolve, as they played shorthanded for much of it.

Mark Pearson led the offense with two goals - the first coming off an interception by Ranjeev Deol, who passed it to Pearson for the finish. 

The second half was defined by Canada’s yellow cards, which started with a cautioning to Keegan Pereira in the 51st minute.  Mark Erickson would subsequently be carded in the 55th minute, followed by Pearson in the 57th – making Canada play down by two men for five minutes and by one for an additional six.

Immediately before Pereira’s cautioning, he played a large role in creating the team’s final goal, as he swiftly ran the ball up the left side and into the D, crossing it towards Ian Smyth who dove in attempt to finish the play, resulting in a penalty corner.  Captain Scott Tupper would take the corner and score the 3-0 goal, as the team went one-for-three on short corner opportunities.

Scoring Summary:

3’ – CAN Pearson, Mark (FG)  1-0 Canada
26’ – CAN Pearson, Mark (FG)  2-0 Canada
51’ – CAN Tupper, Scott (PC)  3-0 Canada
56’ – USA Coolidge, Nate (PC) 3-1 Canada

GAME THREE

Saturday, October 31

Canada 3, USA 2

Match 3 Report

The 3rd match at Wright Field began with warmth and sunshine.

The USA began this match with a few new  young  players  on the bench ( Dhadwal and Walsh), resting defender Sean Harris,  while also getting goalkeeper Tom Sheridan, in for the remaining 2 matches.

The US opened the scoring with a counter attack goal in the 4th minute of play. Andy Sheridan intercepted a loose Canadian midfield pass and quickly threw an overhead to a sprinting Will Holt. Holt entered the circle, and as the Canadian goalkeeper tried to shut him down, Holt threw a deft pass, to a diving Jon Ginolfi , for the opening goal.

The Canadians once again held the majority of the play with the US playing a half court defense and counter attack hockey. In minute 21 the Canadians manipulated the US defense to free up an attacking space on their right side. Hitting the ball into the circle, Canadian attacker Pearson deflected the initial attempt towards goal with a number of players in the zone. The action caused a pin ball effect, around the US circle, before falling to Keegan Pereira, who quickly put the ball into the back of the net.

The Canadians again had the majority of the ball, as the US team continued to play a half court defensive structure. Scott Tupper finished off a solid Canadian attacking movement with a penalty corner goal in the 35 minute.

After the break the United States came up with a few defensive fixes that allowed them a bit more ball and a few more opportunities to play attacking hockey.

A US counter attack,  ended with the awarding of a penalty stroke. Canadian defender, Tupper deflected a US shot at goal, out of bounds with his foot. Steve Mann walked up, and cleanly executed the shot into his upper left corner of the goal.

Both teams continued to create chances for the remainder of the game. Unfortunately it would be Mann's yellow card send off in minute 49 that led to, what some would consider a,  "soft"  goal in the 50th minute.

That's where the scoreline would stay for the remainder of the game.

Canada leads the 4 match  series 2 - 1.

GAME TWO

Thursday, October 29

USA 3, Canada 2

Saying that game two of the United States versus Canada series went down to the wire would be an understatement. Off of a third penalty corner with regulation time expired Sean Harris took a pass and flicked a shot over a diving Canadian goalie to secure a 3-2 victory on a cold and misty night in Vancouver.

The Americans struck first when Jon Ginolfi took a breakaway pass and sent a shot to the back of the net in the 22nd minute. The lead would last only ten minutes, however, as Canada found their way to the scoreboard off a penalty corner in the 32nd minute and sent the game to the half knotted at one goal apiece.

When the rain finally lifted and the second half began it was in the 61st minute that both teams scored. Rob Schilling put the Americans back on top off of a field goal but Mark Pearson of Canada quickly answered back with a field goal of his own to once again tie the score at two. With both teams battling back and forth it was the Americans who finally emerged tonight in the 70th minute with Harris's goal. "It was nice to finally get a game from Canada," a relieved Sean Harris said afterwards. "Their quality of play stays so high for so long and our guys are learning how to do that as well"

Harris continued saying "Our communication was better which is very important against Canada as they know how to take advantage of every mistake. We got better tonight but there's always more to improve on."

With the test series currently split at one game apiece, Friday will serve as a rest day as both teams prepare for Games 3 and 4 during the weekend.

Goals:
USA - 22nd minute - Jon Ginolfi - Field Goal
CAN - 32nd minute - Wayne Fernandes - Penalty Corner
USA - 61st minute - Rob Schilling - Field Goal
CAN - 61st minute - Mark Pearson - Field Goal
USA - 70th minute - Sean Harris - Penalty Corner

GAME ONE

Wednesday, October 28

Canada 5, USA 1

With the raining pouring down from start to finish the United States Men's Senior National team took on the Men's Canadian Team tonight at Wright Field at the University of British Columbia.  Not having competed since last March the Men's team found themselves in a tough game with an experienced and talented opponent.  While the Canadians edged the Americans 5-1, Coach Nick Conway took away some positive aspects as well as a few things for the team to work on for the upcoming games.  

"Having not played in a competitive match in so long, it was good to have some periods of really quality play," Conway commented when discussing the game.  "Overall just being able to give our young guys some international experience as well as having games leading up to the World Cup Qualifier [in Argentina] is a good opportunity."  

Canada took the early lead on two successful corner attempts when they found the back of the net in the 9th minute and followed it up in the 25th minute to make the score 2-0.   With time running out in the first half Remco Couwenbergh put the Americans on the board with a deflection in the 34th minute to make the score 2-1 going into the half.  

However, in the second half the Canadians found the goal three more times as they scored in the 48th, 52nd and 65th minutes.  As Coach Conway pointed out, "They (Canada) were able to expose our defense and really showed their speed and a very high standard of play."  

With three more games yet to play in the series, the United States still has plenty of opportunity to improve.  "Each game will have a marked difference of improvement as these guys get more comfortable," Conway said.  "It's making the small changes that are going to make a big difference in the upcoming games for our guys."

Game Two is Thursday, October 29 at 7:30pm Pacific.

USA Field Hockey Announces Roster for Canada Series

USA Field Hockey and Head Coach Nick Conway today announced the names of the players who will represent the USA in a four-game test series against Canada, scheduled from October 28 to November 1 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

"We're looking forward to preparing and training effectively for the World Cup Qualifier," said Conway. "We're in a good position to take on the challenge. We're looking forward to the opportunity."

The test series is the final piece of preparation for Men's National Team before heading to Quilmes, Argentina for the BDO Men's World Cup Qualifier, scheduled from November 14 to 22, 2009.

The Men's National Team returns a strong core that earned the silver medal at the 2009 Pan American Cup in March. Led by Sean Harris and Jon Ginolfi, the U.S. sparked a competitive run through the tournament, including a 2-1 upset of Chile in the semifinals, before falling to Canada in sudden-death extra time, 2-1, in the Gold Medal match.

The USA roster also features talented young players. Fresh from action at the 2009 Mens Junior World Cup, Ajai Dhadwhal and Derk Pelle look to make their debut on the senior side. Kevin Segeren, named Goalkeeper of the Tournament at the 2008 Pan Am Junior Championship, looks to continue to challenge Tom Sheridan in goal. 

The athletes selected for the four-game test series are:

Manager: Joe Wagstaffe
Coach: Nick Conway
Asst. Coach: Ben Maruquin
Trainer: Brian Bratta

The games will be played October 28, 29, 31 and November 1.

The Men's National Team later head to Quilmes, Argentina for a BDO Men's World Cup Qualifier. The USA will face some familiar competition in Quilmes, again tackling Pan American Federation foes Argentina and Chile. The Qualifier also features Belgium, Ireland and the Czech Republic. The winner of the tournament will qualify for the 2010 Men's World Cup in New Delhi, India.

Following the test series, the roster for the BDO World Cup Qualifier will be selected.

The Canadian National Team, 2009 Pan American Cup champion and 2008 Olympic Games participant, is currently hosting a seven-game test series against India.

The Men's National Team currently has several players on site at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA.

"The rest come in on Monday," said Conway. "We have a week to train together before we head up to Vancouver. Our guys have made a commitment to come in and prepare well."

The qualification system for the Hero Honda FIH World Cup 2010 is similar to the one used for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Nine teams are directly qualified through the Continental Championships, while the remaining three vacancies will be filled from three separate qualification tournaments. The other two Qualifiers will be held in Lille, France and Invercargill, New Zealand.

The teams already qualified for the Honda FIH World Cup 2010 are:

• India (Host)
• Canada (Champion of the 3rd Men's Pan American Cup)
• Korea (Champion of the 8th Men's Asia Cup)
• South Africa (Champion of the Africa Cup of Nations, 2009)
• Australia (Champion of the 6th Men's Oceania Cup)
• England (Champion of the 12th Men's EuroHockey Nations Championship)
• Germany (Silver medalist of the 12th Men's EuroHockey Nations Championship)
• Netherlands (Bronze medalist of the 12th Men's EuroHockey Nations Championship)
• Spain (Fourth ranked team of the 12th Men's EuroHockey Nations Championship)

The format for the three World Cup Qualifiers is as it was for the Olympic Qualifiers: a six teams' single round robin competition with a final to decide which team will qualify.

The composition of the Men's FIH World Cup Qualifiers is as follows:

FIH Men's World Cup Qualifier Lille, France, 31 October-8 November 2009:
Pakistan, Japan, France, Poland, Russia, Italy

BDO FIH Men's World Cup Qualifier, Invercargill, New Zealand, 7-15 November 2009:
New Zealand, China, Malaysia, Austria, Scotland, Wales

BDO FIH Men's World Cup Qualifier, Quilmes, Argentina, 14-22 November 2009:
Belgium, Argentina, Ireland, USA, Czech Republic, Chile