Kauffman, Smith, Tagliente and U.S. Field Hockey Face India This Weekend For Final World Cup Spot
6/21/2002 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
June 21, 2002
Cannock, England - After nine months of waiting, former Terrapins Kate Kauffman ('96, West Lawn, Pa.), Keli Smith ('01, Selinsgrove, Pa.), Carla Tagliente ('01, Cortland, N.Y.) and the rest of the U.S. Field Hockey women's national team will finally get their chance to qualify for the World Cup this weekend when the U.S. meets India in a best of three series to determine which team will advance to field hockey's premier event.
The series opens on Saturday, June 22, and continues with the second on Sunday, June 23, with a third game, if necessary, on Tuesday, June 25. All games are scheduled for the Cannock Hockey Club, Cannock, Staffordshire. Recaps will be posted at the official website of the U.S. Field Hockey Association and game-by-game coverage will be available at www.planetfieldhockey.com.
The much-delayed series became necessary when the U.S. team was unable to compete in September's World Cup Qualifying Tournament following the terrorist attacks in the United States. At that time, the FIH granted the U.S. an alternative opportunity to qualify for the World Cup by playing the qualifier's 7th place team. India eventually claimed seventh place at the qualifier.
World events further delayed the playing of the series including the most recent attempt to determine the final World Cup team. Scheduled for June 3-5 in New Delhi, the series was again re-scheduled when a U.S. State Department warning forced the U.S. team to return home prior to the start of the games.
"[The past months] have been extremely emotionally and mentally draining for this team," said U.S. coach Tracey Belbin. "At a moment's notice, we have been prepared to play India at several sites and with extreme date changes. It has been difficult to maintain momentum when it seemed there was never going to be light at the end of the tunnel."
Meanwhile, World Cup fever of the soccer variety has swept up the U.S. women while in England. The team has closely followed the U.S. men's team on its way to the World Cup quarterfinals.
The World Cup road won't get any easier for the winner of the USA/India series. The winning team will face host and defending world champion Australia on the first day of the World Cup. The World Cup runs from Nov. 28-Dec. 8. in Perth.
The U.S. team for the India series includes Kate Barber (West Chester, Pa.), Jenny Everett (Rutland, Vt.), Tracey Fuchs (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Kelli Gannon (Escondido, Calif.), Kauffman, Robyn Kenney (Readington, N.J.), Tracey Larson (Morrisville, Pa.), Carrie Lingo (Rehoboth Beach, Del.), Antoinette Lucas (Richmond, Va.), Kristen McCann (Allentown, Pa.), Melanie Meerschwam (Amstelveen, Netherlands), Kim Miller (Virginia Beach, Va.), Jill Reeve (Hoosick Falls, N.Y.), Smith, Mimi Smith (Virginia Beach, Va.) and goalkeepers Peggy Storrar (Mahopac, N.Y.), Tagliente and Amy Tran (Grantville, Pa.)
