HONG KONG - February 15, 2019 - Competition started yesterday in Hong Kong at the second-edition of the World Masters Hockey (WMH) Masters Indoor World Cup and USA came away with three wins and two ties over eight games played. The U.S. O-40 Men's Masters Team started strong with a 3-2 win over Hong Kong Dragons before dropping their second game 2-3 in the final 30 seconds to Hong Kong. Their final game of the opening day saw them tie England 2-2. The U.S. O-50 Men's Masters Team struggled to score in their first two games, falling to Germany 0-8 and Australia 0-6. They rebounded in their third contest, defeating Canada 4-0. Lastly, the U.S. O-40 Women's Masters beat The Netherlands 4-3 in their first game and tied Hong Kong 2-2 in their second. 

U.S. O-40 Men's Masters Team

USA 3 - Hong Kong Dragons 2
The U.S. O-40 Men's Masters Team started the event playing at the Shek Kip Mei Park Sports Centre with a dramatic 3-2 win, off a penalty corner by Pat Cota (Menlo Park, Calif.) with no time left, to secure the win over Hong Kong Dragons. USA's other two goals were scored by Shawn Hindy (Moorpark, Calif.) and Lee Swinscoe (Jarretsville, Md.), both on penalty corners.

USA 2 - Hong Kong 3

USA's second game was a tight contest with Hong Kong, that ended in a 3-4 loss for USA on a late goal with under a minute. USA goalkeeper David Eddie (Cambridge, Mass.) had some excellent play and USA's goals were scored by Jaime Rodriguez (Springfield, Mass.), Hindy and Cota. 

USA 2 - England 2
USA’s best game of the tournament was their final on the first day, resulting in a 2-2 tie with England. Swinscoe scored both goals, one on a penalty corner and the other on a stroke. Goalkeeper Eddie once again played superior in goal, preserving the draw.

U.S. O-50 Men's Masters Team

USA 0 - Germany 8
The U.S. O-50 Men's Masters opened the tournament playing at the main venue, Hong Kong Football Club (HKFC), against No. 1 Germany. The first two goals of the game were scored almost immediately after the start of the game by the German captain Ulrich Mayer followed by two more goals by their opponents before the end of the first half. At the half, U.S. O-50 Men's Masters Head Coach Luke Govia stressed the importance of maintaining calmness, composure, regrouping and using the defensive tactics learned at practice sessions. The second half started with a more composed USA team. The powerful Germany side ended up scoring four more goals before the end of the game. USA Goalkeeper Jon O'Haire (Columbus, Ohio) and the defensive line played an excellent game making several outstanding saves holding Germany to only 8 goals.

USA 0 - Australia 6
The second match was another tough game for USA, but they played with much more composure, made some excellent passes and took several shots against the opponents goal throughout the game. USA truly showed their professionalism and experience during the first half holding Australia to a deadlocked 0-0 score. O'Haire once against, had excellent goalkeeping and he made some tough saves against the talented Australia team. The USA defensive line consisting of Manny Morales (Miami, Fla.), Peter Jones (Stamford, Conn.) and Alex Rooks (Belmont, Mass.) were flawless during the first half controlling the back by keeping Australia out of scoring position. The second half, Australia came out showing that they are a team to deal with scoring almost immediately. Australia with much talent and experience ended up scoring 5 more goals.

USA 4 - Canada 0
After two tough games and a long rest period, USA came back ready, healthy and fired up to face their northern neighbors, Canada. Both teams were ready to battle it out. USA, coming out of two earlier losses, was eager for a win. Once again the defensive line stood their ground, holding Canada to a scoreless game. The offensive line was hungry for goals, scoring four by the end of the match. Goal scorers were Jonathan Drucker (Coral Gables, Fla.) (6:00),  Morales (17:00), Greg Pereira (Fulton, Md.) (27:00) and Fernando Diez de Onate (Key Biscayne, Fla.) (33:00). 

U.S. O-40 Women's Masters Team

USA 4 - Netherlands 3
The U.S. O-40 Women's Masters Team started strong in the 2019 Masters Indoor World Cup campaign, defeating The Netherlands 4-3 in the first game at the Island East Sports Centre. During this thrilling match, USA scored early in the first half with a goal from Sue Elliott (Fountainville, Pa.) and an assist by Sophie Etienne (Belmont, Mass.). The Netherlands answered with a goal, but USA continued to generate offense with a second goal by Rachel Barger (Sydney, Australia) with an assist by Denise Zelenak (Wilmington, Del.). Each time the Netherlands scored, USA answered with a goal. The red, white and blue took the lead 3-2 with a goal on a penalty corner when Zelenak passed the ball to Christine Sommerfield (Rumfield, R.I.), who put the ball between the goal posts. In the second half The Netherlands tied the game 3-3, but USA took the lead and victory with a pass from Zelenak to Eitienne inside the circle to net the winning goal. USA played strong defense with great saves by both goalkeepers, Maria Keesling (Downington, Pa.) and Jen Anderson (Owings Mill, Md.), and solid defensive play by Kelly Goodsell (Harrisburg, Pa.) and Sommerfield.

USA 2 - Hong Kong 2
In their second game, USA netted a 2-2 tie in an exciting match against Hong Kong, with both USA goals came from penalty strokes. USA earned their first stroke in the first half when Hong Kong’s goalkeeper lost part of her equipment during play as USA attacked in the scoring circle. Goodsell put the ball in the net to convert the first goal of the game. Hong Kong scored their first goal during the first half to tie it at 1-1. In the second half, Hong Kong took the lead 2-1 and both teams continued to battle for possession of the ball throughout the second half. USA earned a second penalty stroke when a Hong Kong defender used her foot to stop a shot on goal by Elliott. Again, Goodsell converted to tie the game at 2-2. With solid defensive play, USA halted scoring attempts by Hong Kong but was unable to capitalize on several scoring opportunities in the final minutes of the game. At the conclusion of the first day of competition USA’s record is 1-0-1.

For more information regarding the WMH Masters Indoor World Cup, including the full schedule, results, rosters and more, check out the official event page by clicking here.