Rizzo And The U.S. Field Hockey U-23 Team Open South African Tour With 4-0 Win
8/1/2002 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Aug. 1, 2002
JOHANNESBURG, Republic of South Africa - The U.S. Field Hockey Under-23 team got a game-winning goal from former Maryland All-American Dina Rizzo (Walpole, Mass), on its way to a 4-0 shutout victory to open its South African Tour. The team continues to wind down its 2002 schedule with the tour of South Africa, July 28-August 9 in Johannesburg.
Under the direction of head coach Tess Ellis, the U.S. will play six games against local club and provisional teams. A club team from South Africa's premier division, Jeppe currently ranks 6th in its league standings.
"The more international games these girls play, the better for the future of the national program," says Ellis, who also serves as an assistant coach for the U.S. senior team. "They need to become better students of the game. They need hands on experience. To get a chance to watch live games of higher standard and to get a chance to play against these teams can only make them stronger overall players."
Following the tour, the majority of the U-23 players will rejoin their college teams for the fall season. However, some members of the team will participate in U.S. Field Hockey's open trial, August 10-12, for a chance to join the U.S. National Team in its residency program in Virginia Beach.
"We have a few players trying out for the residency program upon their return from South Africa," says Ellis. "I hope this trip will enable them to build on the experience they gained at the indoor qualifier. They need to come into the trials ready to compete and push the current residency players to train harder for their positions on the national team."
Athletes from the U-23 team who could appear at the open trial with hopes of joining the national team include Rizzo, Abby Martin (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), Lauren Mazziotto (Sewell, N.J.) and Abbey Woolley (Ocean City, N.J.).
The U-23 roster for the South Africa tour includes two current members of the national team in Robyn Kenney (Readington, N.J.) and Amy Tran (Grantville, Pa.) who competed in the World Cup qualifying series with India in June. The U.S. defeated India in the best-of-three series to advance to the 2002 World Cup, Nov. 24-Dec. 8 in Perth, Australia.
The U.S. roster also includes Marcie Boyer (Dillsburg, Pa.), April Fronzoni (Larksville, Pa.), Stephanie Fuller (No. Potomac, Md.), Kristi Gannon (Escondido, Calif.), Kim Gogola (Whitehouse Station, N.J.), Kelsey Keeran (Columbus, Ohio), Meredith Keller (Wilmington, Del.), Natalie Martirosian (Richmond, Va.), Lindsay Miller (Gap, Pa.) and Barb Weinberg (Louisville, Ky.).
In addition to the South Africa tour, the U.S. under-23 team earned a third place finish at the Indoor Pan American Cup in February, and participated in the United Airlines Field Hockey League during the summer.
