Terps Help Teams Start Strong at HWL Semifinals
6/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
VALENCIA, Spain – Former Terrapins Katie O'Donnell, Jill Witmer and Megan Frazer have opened competition for their respective nations in the Hockey World League Semifinals in Valencia, Spain which began Wednesday.
O'Donnell and Witmer are competing for Team USA, which won its first game, 2-0 vs. Uruguay Thursday. For full highlights and recap, click here.
Frazer, who is team captain, and the Irish National Team won their first game, 4-1 over South Africa Wednesday and fell to Germany, 3-1, Thursday. For highlights and results, click here.
“From my experince being part of the U.S. national team and playing in Olympic qualifiers, it's always a great feeling to start off with a win,” Maryland associate head coach and Olympian Dina Rizzo said. “Every win is important. Anyone can win at any time. To start with three points is crucial. It's a lot of pressure in these games, so kudos to them for rising to the occasion.”
The Hockey World League Semifinals are being played at the Valencia Hockey Stadium. With two pools of five teams, Team USA, ranked fifth worldwide, will match up with No. 6 Germany, No. 14 Ireland, Uruguay and No. 11 South Africa.
Ireland will play Uruguay Sunday at 7 a.m. ET and the USA will play South Africa Sunday at 9 a.m. EST. For video and updates, please click here.
Pool play will end June 16, with quarterfinals being played June 18. Semifinals will begin June 19 and the finals will be June 21.
The Hockey World League is a relatively new concept, which allows more nations a chance to qualify for the Olympic Games. Teams that have made it through Hockey World League Rounds One and Two move on to compete in the Semifinals. Teams with a world ranking of 1-11 have an automatic bye to the Semifinal round. Following all the Semifinals, the six highest placed teams will be offered a prized participation at the Olympics.
Following the Hockey World League Semifinals, the U.S. Women's National Team will head to Toronto in July for the Pan American Games. The games will be played at the University of Toronto, on two world-class field hockey pitches.
-Terps-
