ANTWERP, Belgium - June 27, 2019 - The U.S. O-60 Men's and Women's Masters Teams head into the final day of competition at the Grand Masters Hockey (GMH) European Trophy in Antwerp, Belgium. After finishing fourth in their pool, the O-60 Men met Alliance in the crossover round and was victorious 5-2. This advanced USA into the 5th-6th place game. Meanwhile, the O-60 Women played their final pool game against Alliance, where a 1-1 tie moved them into the title game against the same Alliance squad.
O-60 Men's 5 - 2 Alliance (Crossover)
This victory moved the U.S. O-60 Men's Masters Team in the 5th/6th place game on Friday, June 28 against Sixtierbians at 3:15 a.m. ET. These teams met in their second pool play game and finished in a 1-1 draw.
O-60 Women's 1 - 1 Alliance
The U.S. O-60 Women's Masters Team stepped onto the pitch for the third time in as many days, this time to compete against the Alliance International Hockey Club for the final game of pool play. USA entered the match 1-0-1 in the pool, 2-1-1 including friendly competitions.
In an even contest, the Alliance and USA traded shots and scoring opportunities throughout the first half. In the second quarter, USA got on the board after midfielder, Loretta Di Pietro (New Haven, Conn.) carried the ball strong to the top of the attacking circle and laid it left. Diane Angstadt (Middletown, Pa.) was there to send her token cross to the goal. After a deflection by Sandra Galea-Martinez (Lakeside, Calif.) and a goalkeeper save, Josie Worthington (Owens Mills, Md.) punched it home. The USA fan-base, led by Worthington's two sons, erupted. Moments later at halftime, a Belgian pub crawl pedaled past to continue the excitement and add to the atmosphere.
Alliance came out strong in the third quarter and capitalized on a numbers up penalty corner opportunity, tying the game 1-1. USA's defense continued to chip away and at the end of the third quarter, the red, white and blue began to find their attacking flow. With a penalty corner at the end of the fourth, it looked as if USA might secure the win but a miscue sent the ball wide of the cage. The game ended in a well-fought draw with Cathy Jackson (Wilmington, Del.) and Pat Rudy (Mill Hall, Pa.) anchoring the play in the center of the field.
This tie gave the U.S. O-60 Women's Masters Team 5 points and first place in the pool. They will go on to place Alliance again on Friday, June 28 in the gold medal match at 10:00 a.m. ET.
For more information regarding the GMH European Trophy including the full schedule, results, rosters and more, check out the official event page by clicking here.