HONG KONG - February 17, 2019 - During the final days of competition at the World Masters Hockey (MWH) Masters Indoor World Cup in Hong Kong, USA fought hard for their crossover placements as they met some experienced international masters teams. The U.S O-40 Men's Masters Team finished sixth after their best game of the tournament, typing Canada 4-4 and falling in the shootout 1-2. The U.S. O-50 Men's Masters Team found themselves in the same placement match-up, narrowly falling to Italy 1-2, to also claim sixth. The U.S. O-40 Women's Masters Team earned the highest USA finish, losing 0-1 to Australia to obtain fourth.
Germany swept all age divisions to be named the MWH Masters Indoor World Cup Champions for the men's O-40 and O-50, and women O-40 and O-45.
Friday, February 15, 2019
U.S. O-40 Men's Masters Team
USA 2 - Canada 3
USA opened the scoring from Barry Payne (Newton, Mass.) but Canada answered to make it 1-1 at halftime. USA regained the lead on a great deflection goal by Pedro Magalhaes (Hendersonville, Texas), with an assist from Shawn Hindy (Moorpark, Calif.). Canada scored twice in a 5-minute span to get ahead, this forced USA to pull their goalkeeper for more opportunities. The red, white and blue had numerous chances to tie the game including three penalty corners in the final 3-minutes, but could not finish. USA goalkeeper David Eddie (Cambridge, Mass.) had a great performance in goal.
USA 0 - Germany 13
Germany is a well experienced team and top of the class in the men's O-40 and this showed in every match. USA fought and pressed well, and continued to fight throughout the game. Lee Swinscoe (Jarrettsville, Md.) made an amazing defensive save on the line and David Sculley (Cambridge, Mass.), Ryan Langford (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Jesse Larson (Crownsville, Md.) ran and defended excellently throughout.
USA 2 - Australia 3
The U.S. O-40 Men's Masters final game of day two was another close contest, with USA narrowly missing on numerous chances. Jamie Rodriquez (Springfield, Mass.) scored first on an assist from Larson. Australia answered with three more but not before USA tallied one back through a penalty corner goal from Hindy. This put USA in the 5th/6th place match against Canada.
U.S. O-50 Men's Masters Team
USA 3 - England 5
On day two, the U.S. O-50 Men's Masters Team traveled to the Shek Kip Mei Sports Centre for their two match-ups. In the first game, they faced England, who had two wins and a loss on the first day. USA captain Roberto Sabella (Key Biscayne, Fla.) opened the scoring in the 7th minute off a beautiful goal assisted from Greg Pereira (Fulton, Md.). England went on to score a penalty corner at the 19th minute mark followed immediately by a brilliant field goal netted by Bob Khosla (Mesa, Ariz.) allowing USA to take a 2-1 lead at the end of the first half. In the second half, England managed a comeback with four goals but Sabella earned one back on a field goal in the 29th minute.
USA 2 - Switzerland 7
After a disappointing hard-fought first game, USA had to battle an experienced and skillful Switzerland team. The Swiss came onto the hard-court surface with a vengeance scoring the first goal in the first minute of the game. At the 13th minute, Switzerland scored on a penalty corner. Switzerland went on to score five more goals and USA added another two on field goals by Pereira (25:00) and Khosla (33:00).
U.S. O-40 Women's Masters Team
USA 2 - Germany 6
The U.S. O-40 Women's Master's Team met a strong German team on the court for their third game in tournament play. At the end of the first half, Germany led the red, white and blue by a score of 1-3. The team's first half goal came on a penalty corner play with a strong shot from Kelly Goodsell (Harrisburg, Pa.). In the second half, Goodsell netted a second goal off a penalty stroke. Despite their persistent defense and offensive play, USA was unable to keep Germany from scoring three more in the second half. USA earned their first loss of the tournament with a final score of 2-6.
USA 0 - Australia 6
In their fourth match of the tournament, the U.S. O-40 Women's Masters Team met Australia. Both squads played strong defense with solid performances by goalkeeper Maria Keesling (Dowingtown, Pa.) and defenders Chrissy Sommerfield (Rumfield, R.I.) and Goodsell. The match remained scoreless after the first half, but Australia came out strong in the second scoring two quick goals. As the game continued, USA failed to generate enough offense to get on the scoreboard. With five minutes left in the game, USA pulled Keesling to generate more attack. Australia capitalized on the move and tallied four more goals before time expired. At the conclusion of pool play, USA sat in fourth place and would face Hong Kong a second time for a play-in match to qualify for the medal round of play.
Saturday, February 16, 2019
U.S. O-40 Men's Masters Team
USA 4 - Canada 4 (5th/6th)
SO: 1 - 2
The U.S. O-40 Men's Masters Team played their best game of the tournament in the 5th/6th place match-up, typing Canada 4-4 and falling in the shootout 1-2. In a very exciting game with Pan American neighbors, USA played with a kicking back for more than 14 minutes where Swinscoe made some amazing sliding saves, sacrificing his body many times. A field goal from Federico Baudini (Doral, Fla.) and two penalty corner conversions by Pat Cota (Menlo Park, Calif.) made the score 3-3 with 5 minutes to go. Canada took the lead with four minutes to play and USA tied the game just a minute following on a goal by Baudini, assisted by Hindy. USA continued to press until the end but regulation finished 4-4 to force it to a shootout. Hindy scored first, but USA was unable to score after that, giving the victory to Canada.
The O-40 men would like to thank head coach Allan Law for volunteering his time and energy in making it a successful trip. Also, Bob Hindy, team manager, and Anja Hossbach, athletic trainer, for their help. Finally, they would like to thank David Sculley and the Masters Indoor World Cup committee for all the organization and administrative work they committed to in making this an excellent and fun tournament.
U.S. O-50 Men's Masters Team
USA 4 - England55 3
The U.S. O-50 Men's Masters Team played their last two games at the Hong Kong Football Club. The forward line started the game strong with captain Sabella tallying the first field goal in the 13th minute. Just before the end of the half, England scored to tie the match. In the second half, USA netted three more goals by Pereira (23:00), Sabella (26:00) and Khosla (31:00). England went on to score two goals in the second half.
USA 1 - Italy55 2 (5th/6th)
Both teams played a great game battling for the 5th/6th place position in the O-50 men's division. USA started off with a field goal by the talented captain Sabella in the 3rd minute. USA continued to put pressure on Italy but was unable to convert another goal. Italy scored two field goals and USA had many opportunities but the Italy defense kept them from scoring. USA defense worked tirelessly to keep Italy from scoring and goalkeeper Jon O'Haire (Columbus, Ohioo) played another excellent game making some tough saves.
U.S. O-40 Women's Masters Team
USA 6 - Hong Kong 3 (4th/5th)
As medal rounds began for the Masters Indoor World Cup, the U.S. O-40 Women's Masters Team faced Hong Kong to play for a spot in medal games. USA took the lead with a goal on a penalty corner netted by Goodsell early in the first half. Hong Kong answered with a goal of their own, but USA continued to dominate on both sides of the court. Sophie Etienne (Belmont, Mass.) netted USA’s second goal with a slip option to the left on a penalty corner. Sue Elliott (Fountainville, Pa.) followed up shortly after earning the third goal of the game during circle play that was assisted by Denise Zelenak (Wilmington, Del.). Tied 3-3 before the end of the first half, Rachel Barger (Sydney, Australia) scored to give USA a 4-3 advantage at the break. In the second half, USA played strong defense to keep Hong Kong at bay, while extending their lead with two additional goals. First, Elliott deflected the ball into the goal on a penalty corner option. Etienne then followed up by scoring the team's sixth goal during circle play, securing USA's lead and victory. The win gave USA a spot in the semifinals and a chance to play for a medal.
USA 1 - Netherlands 5 (Semifinal 1)
In the first round of medal play, USA faced The Netherlands for the second time in the Masters Indoor World Cup. The Netherlands started quick and generated strong offense during the game, as USA struggled to generate plays offensively. Both goalkeepers, Keesling and Jen Anderson (Owings Mill, Md.), made incredible saves but were unable to halt all scoring attempts. In the second half, Carol Gulija (Flemington, N.J.) tipped the ball into the goal after Etienne sent a strong pass into the circle. It was a hard fought game, but USA ultimately fell 1-5 to The Netherlands, setting the U.S. O-40 Women's Masters Team up against Australia for a second time in the tournament to fight for the bronze medal.
Sunday, February 17, 2019
USA 0 - Australia 1 (Bronze)
On the final day of the Masters Indoor World Cup in Hong Kong, the U.S. O-40 Women’s Masters Team battled Australia in a tight match for the bronze medal. Both squads played strong defense and generated offensive pushes throughout the game. Australia netted the lone goal of the in the first half. A strong USA defense, led by goalkeepers Anderson and Keesling, was able to keep Australia from scoring the remainder of the game. Despite continued offensive drives into the circle and numerous penalty corners, USA was unable to capitalize on any opportunities in front of Australia's goal, losing 0-1 in the bronze medal match. USA finished the tournament with a record of 2-4-1. This result is an improvement on their previous showing at the inaugural Masters Indoor World Cup in 2017 in Krefeld, Germany. Masters field hockey in the United States continues to gain momentum with opportunities for both women and men to play domestically and internationally, growing the game for players both young and old.
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.