The U.S. ladies’s subject hockey workforce performed the primary of two friendlies final night time in opposition to the New Zealand Black Sticks of their January tour.
And as we posited when the roster was launched, there have been a variety of new faces within the lineup, with squad numbers within the excessive 30s, reserve goalkeeper Kealsea Reeb beginning and enjoying fairly properly, and quite a lot of gamers given key tasks.
To me, two gamers stood out in yesterday’s 1-0 loss. One was ahead Katie Dixon, the UNC graduate, who was an agitator within the circle and was seemingly everywhere, tormenting the New Zealand backline, although she was unlucky to not have a scoring change go in.
One other one who confirmed out for me was Caroline Ramsey, the Cornell graduate who prepped at Summit Oak Knoll (N.J.). Ramsey was given the accountability of dragflicking on assault penalty corners, one thing which is extraordinary in terms of a participant’s worldwide debut.
Final night time’s contest was additionally a taut, tense contest which had an attention-grabbing tempo and rhythm — the tempo and rhythm of a grand remaining. Sure, it was a pleasant, however these two groups are tied on the hip in terms of current historical past.
New Zealand, a couple of years in the past, was the workforce that gave up its house within the FIH Professional League permitting the USA to compete within the second season of that world competitors, whereupon the U.S. was itself relegated to the lower-level FIH Nations Cup.
This 12 months’s Nations Cup will happen starting February twenty fifth, and the States will tackle pool matches with Canada, Chile, and Japan, maintaining a cautious eye on how the opposite pool will shake out. Solely the winner of this event will participate within the FIH Professional League.
I’ve a sense that, if the 2 sides meet within the Nations Cup, the sport may, like yesterday, activate one tactic or one miscue.
And that’s the character of worldwide subject hockey.
