USA Field Hockey Head Coach Craig Parnham has selected a squad with a balance of youth and experience for two upcoming Four Nations tournaments in Auckland, New Zealand April 4-21, featuring Argentina, Korea, New Zealand and the United States, displaying his commitment to develop and implement fresh talent into the senior high performance program. Parnham has included eight athletes with less than 10 caps to the U.S. roster for the tour. Five collegiate athletes, including, Caitlyn Van Sickle (University of North Carolina), Maxine Fluharty(University of Maryland), Nikki Parsley (Northwestern University), Amanda Fleischut (Drexel University) and Emma Bozek (University of North Carolina) will look to make their debut wearing red, white and blue for Team USA.

“This tour will provide us with the opportunity to look at a wider, youthful group of players in a different environment than we normally do and that is important for the future of the squad,” Parnham said. “Our development is in its infancy and we are still having a look at players and seeing what players are out there and available. We are excited about the opportunity to play some of the best teams in the world. It is not often that we get to play against Asian teams such as Korea and it will be a valuable experience for the future development of these younger players.”

Team USA is set to touch down in New Zealand next Friday, providing ample time to adjust to the 20-hour time difference before opening the first half of the tournament against Argentina on April 10. The U.S. will then take on two other top world-ranked opponents, Korea and New Zealand, on April 11 and April 13 and wrap up the first half of the tour on Sunday, April 14. The second Four Nations Tournament will commence on April 17 with the U.S. facing Korea, followed by New Zealand on April 18. Team USA will have a rest day before facing Argentina on April 20 and a “playoff” round on April 21.

“For us, this tournament is about continuing the work we have already started and developing our team, style and structure,” said Parnham. “Some tactical and technical areas will be addressed from the review of World League Round 2 in the first part of the program and as far as results go, it is about taking it game by game, understanding the opposition that we are playing, and learning as we go.”

Joining the large number of first-timers on tour will be a group of seasoned veterans including, two-time Olympians, Lauren Crandall (Doylestown, Pa.), Rachel Dawson (Berlin, N.J.), Katelyn Falgowski (Landenberg, Pa.) and more recent staples on the U.S. Women’s Team, Melissa Gonzalez(Mohegan Lake, N.Y.), Michelle Kasold (Chapel Hill, N.C.), Torrie Albini (Escondido, Cali.), Lauren Pfeiffer (Mount Laurel, N.J.), Jackie Kintzer (Robesonia, Pa.) and Shannon Taylor (Midlothian, Va.). The tournament will be the second competition for the United States under new Head Coach Parnham.

Following the Four Nations tournament, past and present collegiate all-stars and members of the current National Squad, Junior National Squad and Development Squad will come together for the Women’s National Championship, held this year at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., May 23-29. Parnham will identify the 2013-14 U.S. Women’s National Team and the core group of players going forward at the conclusion of the selection tournament.  The US will also play in the World League Semi Final in June. 

The following athletes have been named to the Four Nations Tournament in New Zealand: Jackie Kintzer (Robesonia, Pa.) Alesha Widdall (Whitney Point, N.Y.), Lauren Crandall (Doylestown, Pa.), Megan Dawson (Berlin, N.J.), Meghan Beamesderfer (Iowa City, Iowa), Stefanie Fee (Virginia Beach, Va.), Caitlin Van Sickle (Wilmington, Del.) , Rachel Dawson (Berlin, N.J.), Katelyn Falgowski (Landenberg, Pa.), Melissa Gonzalez (Mohegan Lake, N.Y.), Maxine Fluharty (Millsboro, Del.), Michelle Kasold (Chapel Hill, N.C.), Nikki Parsley (Milford, Del.), Amanda Fleischut (Doylestown, Pa.), Torrie Albini (Escondido, Cali.), Lauren Pfeiffer (Mt. Laurel, N.J.), Shannon Taylor (Midlothian, Va.), Emma Bozek (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.)

Two separate Black Sticks Women’s teams have been named ahead of the Four Nations Tournament being played against Argentina, Korea and the United States in New Zealand this April.

The back-to-back format means there are two identical rounds, which gives head coach Mark Hager the chance to expose players and fine tune selection decisions ahead of the World League 3 in June.

“We have a strong squad and some good young talent coming through – naming two teams means we can develop depth and look at who is playing consistently well throughout the tournament. We want players to really work hard to earn a spot in the team,” says Hager.

Stalwart Black Stick Kayla Sharland returns for the first time since the London Olympics and is looking forward to getting back on the turf.

“I’m really excited to be getting back into it. There have been lots of changes to the team since the Olympics so it is pleasing to see that they have been progressing so well – it’s just good to see a new bunch of players wanting to put their stamp on hockey in New Zealand,” says Sharland.

Working full time in Christchurch, Sharland started training on turf three weeks ago with other senior Canterbury male and female players under the guidance of Regional Talent Programme coach Chris Leslie.

After only just losing the series against world number two Argentina at the start of this month, the Black Sticks are keen to get a win on home soil.

“They will be wanting the win as much as us! Our goal is to play in both finals – it will be a good indicator to see how we are tracking ahead of the World League and to play some top quality teams,” says Hager.

Krystal Forgesson is unavailable for the second tournament due to work commitments.

There will be 16 games played in eight days in Whangarei, Hamilton and Tauranga from 10-21 April.

“We haven’t played in these cities since the Olympics so the girls are hoping that there will be a strong turn out and the crowd will really get behind us,” says Hager.

Following the Four Nations, the Black Sticks Women will play three matches against England before the World League in Amsterdam in June. The World League is the new qualification tournament for the 2014 World Cup and will be played in Amsterdam from 12-23 June.

The world’s richest field hockey league, the Hero Hockey India League, kicks off its inaugural season in India on January 14 in New Delhi.  The league is filled with international superstars such as Jamie Dwyer, Mark Knowles, Jaap Stockman, Nick Wilson, Ashley Jackson and Mortiz Fuerste.  Fifteen Australian players will be participating, as well as nine Pakistani players.  There will be five teams participating in this tournament — the Mumbai Magicians, the Delhi WaveRiders, the UP Wizards, the Ranchi Rhinos and the Punjab Warriors.

February: 
The finals of the maiden HHIL (Hero Hockey India League) in India on February 10, 2013.  The Investec Challenge Series is also being played in South Africa, with the Netherlands, Australia, England and hosts South Africa participating.  The Hockey World League Round 2 also takes place in February in New Delhi from Feb 18, 2013 to Feb 24, 2013.  India will be hosts, and will compete China, Oman, Bangladesh and a bunch of other countries that we didn’t even know had field hockey teams.

South Africa and Belgium were qualifiers in the Hockey World League Round 2 in Cape Town, South Africa. And Argentina were easy winners of the 2013 South American Hockey Championships, beating Chile 4-0 inthe finals.

argentina play new zealand in five game series in march 2013

March: 
The Blacksticks women’s field hockey team will be touring Argentina for a five game series.  The Black Sticks leave for Argentina on the 21st February, returning to New Zealand on the 4th March. The tests will be held on the 24th, 25th and 27th February as well as the 1st and 2nd March (NZ Time).

The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup takes place in Ipoh, Malaysia starting March 9th. Australia, India, Korea, Malaysia and New Zealand will be participating (Australia easily won that tournament).

April: 
The EuroHockey League Round 3 will crown its winner on April 1^st.  New Zealand will host the four nations women’s hockey tournament, with the Black Sticks women going head to head against world cup holders  Argentina.  The USA and Korea will also be participating.  Also on the international calendar during the relatively quiet month are the qualification tournaments for the Africa Cup.  The English and Dutch men’s field hockey teams are scheduled to play a series of friendlies in India in late April, according to Hockey India’s website.

May: 
The final two Hockey World League Round 2 Tournaments will be played in France and Russia to finnalize the field for the next round. European hockey will also be on center stage with the Club Champions Trophy taking place in Antwerp, Belgium.

June: 
Rotterdam, Netherlands and Malaysia will play host to the final qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup.

July: 
Germany hosts the Women’s Junior World Cup from July 27-August 4. The world’s top 16 junior teams will be selected to play in this event.

August: 
Toronto will play host to the Pan American Cup August 10-18.  In Asia, the 9^th Men’s Asia Cup will begin in Ipoh, Malaysia on August 24.

September: 
The Africa Cup of Nations, the Women’s Asian Cup and the Women’s Pan American Cup are scheduled for September, with exact dates to be finalized.

October: 
The Oceania Cup rounds out the Continental Championships in October.

November: 
The first-ever Hockey World League Final will be held in Argentina from November 30-December 8. The tournament will determine the first-ever winner from the Hockey World League after nearly two years of build-up.

December: 
Men’s Junior World Cup in India from December 5-16. The top-16 men’s junior teams will take part in the year-end tournament.

Jeroen Hertzberger, a field hockey player for Holland and the UP Wizards as King Leonidas of Sparta in a photoshoot in support of the Blue Ribbon foundation in “The Naked Issue” of Dutch magazine Viva.

Jeroen Hertzberger of the Dutch Field Hockey team

The tournament features New Zealand, the USA, Argentina and Korea.  Click here for the detailed schedule.

10.  Marsha Mareschia of South Africa: She’s the captain of the South African women’s team and has 300 international games under her belt.  Her team recently won the silver at the Investec Challenge series at Cape Town in February.

9.  Casey Eastham of Australia:  A key midfielder for the Hockeyroos, Eastham played in the London 2012 Olympics and also was a key player for Australia at the recently concluded Investec Challenge Series in South Africa

8. Anita Punt of New Zealand:  Punt not only is a midfielder for the Black Sticks, she is also a star track and field runner.  She recently ran 100 m in 12.6 seconds and the 300 in 39.6 seconds.

7.  Naomi Van As of the Netherlands: Olympic gold medalist at the London 2012 Olympic games.  She currently plays for the most successful international women’s team in the world, the Netherlands.  She was part of the gold medal winning teams in both the 2008 and the 2012 olympic games, and she was also part of the 2006 Dutch women’s hockey team which won first place at the the field hockey world cup in Madrid, Spain.  She is 5’10″, weights 143 lbs and lists shopping, going out for dinner, going on holidays, spending time at the beach, going for walks and spending time with friends as her fun things to do.  She was named in the International Hockey Federation’s “All Star” team in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and was a joint winner, along with Luciana Aymar (see below), of the FIH Player of the Year award in 2009.

6.  Luciana Aymar of Argentina:  Luciana’s resume is simply mind blowing.  She has won the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) Player of the Year award a record seven times (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010). She has also been named in the FIH All Star team for six consecutive years (ie, from 2006 to 2011).  She was named “Player of the Tournament” at the 2000, 2001, 2005, 2008 and 2010 Champions Trophy tournaments.  She was also named Player of the Tournament at the 2010 World Cup in Rosario, Argentina.

5.  Eva De Goede of the Netherlands:  Winner of a gold medal with the Netherlands in the 2008 Olympic games. Also won the 2007 Champions Trophy with the Netherlands.

4.  Charlotte Harrison of New Zealand:  Harrison is remembered for scoring the winning goal to defeat Korea and give New Zealand their only ever medal at the Champions Trophy in 2011.  Harrison was also part of the Black Sticks team that lost narrowly to Great Britain in the bronze medal playoff at the London 2012 Olympic games.

3.  Ellen Hoog of the Netherlands:  Won the  Champions Trophy in Canberra (AUS) with the Dutch National Women’s Team. She was also part of the Dutch squad that became World Champion at the 2006 Women’s Hockey World Cup.  Also a member of the gold medal at the London 2012 Olympic games.

Eve De Goede and Ellen Hoog — Dutch Field Hockey Players

2.  Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge (and England): Her title is Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, but she is known in the world of field hockey for attempting to play field hockey in heels (successfully).  Duchess Kate recently gave hockey a place in the spotlight when she returned to her former prep school and delighted the students by showing her hockey skills.  Middleton, who was a regular at the 2012 Olympic hockey tournament, was followed by dozens of reporters on her visit to her former school.  She attended St. Andrew’s in Pangbourne, Berkshire from 1986-1995 and was on hand to unveil a palque to open a new turf pitch. She joined a pick up game wearing a Alexander McQueen dress and high-heeled boots.

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The Black Sticks lost 4-3 to a speedy Korean team in the opening game of the Four Nations Tournament in Whangarei today. Charlotte Harrison, Sian Fremaux and Stacey Michelson scored for New Zealand.

The US women’s field hockey team went down 3-0 to a confident Argentinean team in the first game of the Four Nations Women’s field hockey championships in New Zealand today.

Delfina Merino, Macarena Rodriguez and Giselle Suarez scored for Las Leonas.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Twentieth-ranked Iowa rallied to defeat No. 6 Penn State in overtime on Friday 4-3 at Buckeye Varsity Field in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament. The Hawkeyes erased a two-goal deficit, and trailed again by a goal before scoring with no time on the clock to send the game to overtime.

It marks the 10th trip to the tournament championship game for Iowa. The Hawkeyes have claimed five tournament titles in program history (1981, ’94, 2006, ’07, ’08).

“Our team is finally showing what we’ve been capable of all year,” Iowa head coach Tracey Griesbaum said. “No better stage to show everyone what you are made of than in the Big Ten tournament.”

Penn State jumped out to an early lead with a goal in the first minute of play. Jenna Chrismer scored for the Nittany Lions after a failed clearing attempt by the Hawkeyes. Penn State added to its lead at the 22:20 mark of the first half as Taylor Herold scored a one-timer off a feed from Whitney Reddig.

Iowa fought back at the start of the second half as sophomore Natalie Cafone put the Hawkeyes on the board at the 46:09 mark in the second half to cut the score in half. Cafone broke away from the defense and beat the Penn State goalkeeper low and to the right for her 20th goal of the season.

The Hawkeyes stayed on the offensive as roughly 11 minutes later the Hawkeyes were awarded a penalty stroke. It was up to Marike Stribos to tie the game for the Hawkeyes and she converted, beating the Nittany Lion goalkeeper low and to the right.

“Being down two goals against a team like Penn State is never fun,” Griesbaum said. “We knew if we kept working hard, eventually we would get a break.”

With 1:11 remaining, Penn State was awarded a penalty stroke after Iowa illegally stopped a shot off a Penn State penalty corner. Brittany Grzywacz took the penalty stroke and scored to give the Nittany Lions a 3-2 lead with just more than a minute to play.

The Hawkeyes maintained their composure after the go-ahead goal and forced a penalty corner with seconds remaining. By the time senior Niki Schultheis put the ball in play off the penalty corner, time had expired. Junior Dani Hemeon received the pass, avoided several Nittany Lion defenders, and scored on the backhand with no time left in the game to send the match into overtime.

With all the momentum on its side, Iowa controlled the overtime period from the start. The Hawkeyes took possession from the Nittany Lions and passed to Cafone who took care of the rest. Cafone flew past the Penn State defense and scored her second goal of the game 2:26 into overtime to send the Hawkeyes to Sunday’s championship game.

“We dominated overtime,” Griesbaum said. “I don’t think Penn State ever crossed the 50 yard line. Total team effort; I’m proud of the way we played.”

Iowa, the No. 5 seed, will face No. 3 seed Michigan State on Sunday in the championship of the Big Ten tournament.

(Source: NCAA.com)

England & India to host Hockey World Cups 2018

England To Host World Cup 2018

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is delighted to announce that England and India will host the Hockey World Cups in 2018. England Hockey were successful in their bid to host the women’s showpiece, with Hockey India winning the race to host the men’s equivalent.

The announcements were made by FIH President Leandro Negre at a special ceremony at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Lausanne, Switzerland on Thursday evening.

“I wish to offer my sincere congratulations to England Hockey and Hockey India on their successful bids to host the Hockey World Cups 2018,” said Negre. “The quality of both bids was truly extraordinary, and the FIH is greatly looking forward to bringing its top properties to England and India. I would also like to congratulate all of the National Associations that submitted bids for these events. The standard was exceptionally high, making the decision extremely hard for the FIH Executive Board.”

Alongside the Olympic Games, the Hockey World Cups are the most coveted, cherished prizes in Hockey. Held every four years, they bring together the world’s greatest teams and most skillful players for the toughest, most competitive international hockey event imaginable.

The women’s tournament in England is scheduled to take place from 7-21 July 2018, with the men’s event in India planned for 1-16 December 2018.

Both the Men’s and Women’s Hockey World Cups 2018 will feature an increased 16-nation field of participants, confirming the growing interest and development of the sport. Next year’s hugely anticipated Rabobank Hockey World Cup, which takes place in The Hague, Netherlands during the first two weeks of June, will see twelve men’s and twelve women’s teams competing in a mammoth double event.

“The decision certainly was not an easy one to make ,”said FIH Chief Executive Officer Kelly Fairweather, reflecting on the bidding process. “All of the bids that we received were exceptional, being completely in line with our strategy to deliver the most entertaining, exciting and inspiring hockey events in the world. The FIH Executive Board were hugely impressed by the bids from England Hockey and Hockey India, and are convinced that both National Associations will deliver absolutely magnificent tournaments.”

The FIH has been meticulous in its approach to choosing the hosts for the 2018 showpiece events. As part of the bidding process, the FIH requested that bid questionnaires were submitted before a deadline of 31 August.

The second phase of the process saw each bid evaluated in detail, as well as further discussions, clarifications, site visits and negotiations taking place with the respective National Associations.  The final decision was made by the FIH Executive Board in Lausanne, Switzerland on Thursday, bringing the process to an end by naming England and India as the host nations of hockey’s top properties.

The World Cup hosts’ announcement is part of FIH’s new event assignment process, which was launched and presented to the National Associations at the FIH Congress in November 2012. The re-structured bidding process was designed to ensure that the majority of the unallocated events for the 2015-2018 period would be assigned before the end of this year. The FIH will make an announcement about the host nations of these events in due course.

NEWTON, Mass. – Maryland junior Maxine Fluharty scored 3 minutes into overtime to take Maryland past Duke 3-2 and into the finals of the ACC Field Hockey Championships.  Off of a penalty corner, Fluharty collected a rebound in front of a crowded goal and  tapped the ball past Blue Devil goalkeeper Lauren Blazing for her 12th goal of the season.

The Terps were dominant throughout the game, peppering the Duke goal with wave after wave of attacking hockey right after the opening whistle.  They were rewarded when forward Alyssa Parker put the Terrapins on the board first in the first half, as she deflected a shot by Jill Witmer past Blazing for her seventh tally of the season.

Following several scoring chances that were either saved or fired wide, Maryland cashed in again, as Emma Rissinger scored her sixth goal of the season after Witmer sent another shot toward the cage. This time, Blazing allowed a rebound to her right that Rissinger punched home to give the Terrapins the two-goal lead.

The first half was played mostly in Duke’s half, and under inclement weather.  The unpredictable New England weather delivered sunshine, winds, sleet and rain throughout the first half, making playing conditions difficult both both teams.

The Blue Devils came back well in the second half and managed to even the score with a strong second half that included five shots and two penalty corners.

A goal by Abby Beltrani, her second of the season, off a pass from Grace Christus brought Duke to within one with 16 minutes remaining.

With less than four minutes left in regulation, the Blue Devils knotted the contest at two on a goal by Hannah Barreca off of a penalty corner. Assisting on the tying goal was Beltrani and Emmie Le Marchand.

Maryland Ease Past Duke

Fluharty’s goal just under four minutes into overtime improved the Terrapins to 3-0 on the season in extra time. The Terrapins finished with 21 shots and five penalty corners, while Duke produced seven shots and five penalty corners.

Maryland were easily the better team on the day, dominating the Blue Devils with aggressive running off the ball.  The 19-1 ‘Terps’ are favorites to win the tournament.

Source: NCAA Website

In a field hockey game of the highest quality, #3 ranked North Carolina defeated favorites Syracuse 1-0 to advance to the final of the ACC Field Hockey Championship at the Boston College Field Hockey grounds in Newton, MA on Friday.

UNC now face Maryland on Sunday. The game will be a repeat of the 2012 title game that saw North Carolina win its 18th league championship with a 4-2 victory.

On a cold, windy day with the game played on an astroturf pitch covered in autumn leaves, the only goal of of the game came in the first half. A defensive error by #2 ranked Syracuse allowed UNC player Emma Bozek to pick up the ball just outside the ‘D’ and find teammate Loren Shealy to her left, who drove the ball towards the goal where a diving sophomore Emily Wold (in picture below) deflected the ball past Syracuse keeper Jecko for the 1-0 lead.  Syracuse had a couple of clear chances to equalize from two consecutive penalty corners just before going in for the break at half time, but tenacious goalkeeping by Germany’s Sassy Ammer in the Tar Heel goal kept the first half score 1-0 in favor of UNC.

Midfielders Nina Notman and Emily Wold were masterful in the center of the field for UNC in the second half, helping the Tar Heels keep the pressure on the Orange goal.  With the clock approaching the final minutes of the game, Syracuse found the back of the net on a shot from outside the circle that appeared to deflect off of Ammer. After a video review, the call on the field was overturned, as officials determined that the ball went in untouched by both the North Carolina defenders and Ammer.

The Orange earned one final corner as time expired in the contest, but the North Carolina defense cleared the ball to clinch a spot in the title game.

The Tar Heels managed five shots and zero penalty corners in the game as they avenged a 1-0 loss to the Orange less than a week earlier. Syracuse registered nine shots and four penalty corners.

North Carolina’s shutout marked the first time since Oct. 3, 2010 in a 2-0 loss against Massachusetts that Syracuse has been shutout – a span stretching 74 matches.

UNC Defeated Syracuse And Will Face Maryland In The Final On Sunday