RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Former Terrapin field hockey players figured prominently at the Pan Am Games, with two, Lauren Powley and Keli Smith, leading the United States to claim the silver medal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday afternoon.

Facing the No. 2-team in the world and long-time nemesis Argentina, the U.S. team fell to the six-time Pan American Games champion, 4-2. The Americans took an early 1-0 lead in the 58th minute, but the Argentines responded scoring four-straight goals. The U.S. scored again within the final 33 minutes, but were held off the board the rest of the way.

The U.S. was looking for an automatic berth into the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, next summer. Because of the loss, however, it will play in one of three Olympic Qualifying Tournaments next year, which will be announced at a later date.

Americans and former Maryland All-Americans Lauren Powley (Mountaintop, Pa.) and Keli Smith (Selinsgrove, Pa.) were starters in every games at the Pan Am Games. Smith scored twice and, along with Powley's midfield play, helped the U.S. go undefeated in pool play.

In the medal round, it was a battle between former teammates as Powley went head-to-head with Chile's Paula Infante (Santiago, Chile) in the semifinals. Powley and Infante were on the 2005 NCAA Championship squad, before Infante finished out her career in College Park last fall. The Americans got the best of the Chileans, winning 4-2, while Smith scored the team's final goal.

Chile went on to play for the bronze medal, but fell in overtime, 2-1, to the Netherlands Antilles. Infante also started every games of the tournament, scoring a couple times, including the only goal in the 2-1 loss to Argentina in pool play.

On the men's side, Maryland technical director/coach Tjerk van Herwaarden helped the U.S. close out the Pan Am Games with a big statements, dismantling host Brazil, 13-0, in the 7th/8th place game on Wednesday morning. Van Herwaarden has been serving as an assistant coach with the U.S. men's team.

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