Four Field Hockey Terps With Team USA
3/25/2010 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
March 25, 2010
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Three Terrapin field hockey players, both current and former, will take the field beginning Friday as part of the U.S. field hockey team in the AtaHolding Women's World Cup Qualifier at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.
Terrapin junior Katie O'Donnell, and former Terps Sara Silvetti and Lauren Powley will all take the field as members of the U.S. national team. Former Maryland hockey player Keli Smith will not be playing due to maternity leave. Smith, along with her newborn son, Xavi Puzo born in January, will be in California to support the U.S. team.
"On behalf of the Maryland athletic department, we are so proud of Katie, Sara, Lauren and Keli for their continued commitment and support of the U.S. hockey program," Maryland head coach Missy Meharg said.
Team USA will welcome teams from Belgium, Canada, Mexico, France and Korea to San Diego. The tournament champion will head to the BDO FIH 2010 Women's World Cup Rosario, Argentina in September.
The U.S. will play Mexico Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET. The USA defeated Mexico 6-0 in their last international confrontation in January 2009 at the Pan American Cup.
"The process to get where we are has been physically tough," O'Donnell said. "It's all going into where we want to be for our first game against Mexico."
The team's preparations have been demanding with running, lifting, field practices and a new method of training- sand hills.
"Our coaching staff put in sand hills and we sprint up and down them, just to help us get quicker and stronger for these international games," Silvetti said.
The American team played a practice match against Belgium earlier this week and took a 1-0 victory, thanks to O'Donnell's tip-in shot in the third and final 20-minute period.
The U.S. team went to Argentina in February for a series of games in preparation for the qualifier. They defeated Belgium and Chile in the series and O'Donnell scored four goals between those two games.
For more information on the U.S. field hockey team, please visit USAFieldHockey.com.
Some information in this report was compiled from USAFieldHockey.com.
