U.S. Field Hockey Women Advance To World Cup With 3-1 Win Over England
6/25/2002 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
June 25, 2002
CANNOCK, England - The U.S. women's field hockey team waited nine months for a chance to earn a spot in the International Hockey Federation World Cup. Former Maryland Terrapins Kate Kauffman ('96, West Lawn, Pa.), Keli Smith ('01, Selinsgrove, Pa.), Carla Tagliente ('01, Cortland, N.Y.) and the national team were not about to let that chance slip away.
The U.S. used three second half goals to come back and defeat India, 3-1, in the decisive third game of their three-game series to earn a trip to the World Cup, Nov. 28-Dec. 8 in Perth, Australia.
"It's just great," said U.S. captain Tracey Fuchs who scored two goals on the day to raise her series total to four. "We played a great game today. We got down a goal and we never stopped fighting. Everybody stepped up today and because of that, we're going to Perth."
The U.S. fell behind in the first half when India's Jyoti Sunita Kullu converted a penalty corner in the 19th minute to give India a 1-0 halftime lead.
"We felt we were playing really well and dominating the game," said the USA's Kauffman. "We didn't make that may adjustments at halftime. We just needed to stick with it."
The U.S. roared in the first minute of the second half when a drive by Tagliente into the India circle resulted in a penalty stroke. Fuchs easily converted the stroke in the lower left corner to tie the game at 1-1. Two minutes later, Kelli Gannon connected on a diving field goal to send the team to Perth.
"We were just on fire," added Kauffman. "We had such adrenaline pumping. It was great."
The U.S. capped the scoring when Fuchs netted her third penalty corner of the tournament in the 49th minute. A veteran of two Olympic Games and three previous World Cups, Fuchs added to her U.S. record with her 219th career international appearance.
The victory concluded a long and much-delayed qualifying process that began when the U.S. was unable to attend the 16-team World Cup Qualifying Tournament last September following the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. 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 in a best-of-three series. 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.
With the win, the U.S. secures its 6th consecutive trip to the World Cup. The team earned its best finish with a bronze-medal showing in 1994 and placed 8th in the most recent World Cup in 1998.
The U.S. will enter the World cup as the number 11 seed and will play in pool B with #2 The Netherlands, #3 Australia, #6 Spain, #7 England, #10 South Africa, #14, Japan and #15 Ireland. Pool A includes #1 Argentina, #4 china, #5 New Zealand, #8 Korea, #9 Germany, #12 Russia, #13 Ukraine and #15 Scotland.
The U.S. and head coach Tracey Belbin were scheduled to depart England on Tuesday evening and return to the team's residency home in Virginia Beach. The team will host Mexico and World cup-bound Ireland and Scotland in the Atlantic Cup, Oct. 9-13 in Virginia Beach.
"It was a great day. We'll keep the celebration going," said Kauffman who recently married former Terp soccer All-American Keith Beach on June 15, the day before the team left for England.
"Now I can leave for my honeymoon."
For more information on U.S. Field Hockey, visit their website at www.usfieldhockey.com.
Box Score June 25 at Cannock Hockey Club
USA 3, India 1
IND: Jyoti Sunita Lullu (pc, 19:00) USA: Tracey Fuchs (ps, 36:00) USA: Kelli Gannon (fg, 38:00) USA: Tracey Fuchs (pc, 49:00)
USA Starters: Mimi Smith, Kristen McCann, Peggy Storrar, Kelli Gannon, Tracey Fuchs, Antoinette Lucas, Katie Kauffman, Carla Tagliente, Jill Reeve, Carrie Lingo, Kate Barber.
Subs: Melanie Meerschwam, Tracey Larson, Keli Smith
