VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Rising junior back Kelsey Smither of the Old Dominion University field hockey team was named to the United States Under-21 Junior World Cup Team.
U.S. Under-21 head coach Steve Jennings announced the 18-team roster that will compete in Monchengladbach, Germany from July 27-August 4. Held every four years, the Junior World Cup represents the top international event for elite field hockey athletes under the age of 21.
The selection process for the Junior World Cup team spanned over four events, including the Women’s National Championship, U-21 Women’s National Championship, Futures Elite Championship and National Futures Championship. From the four events, 34-players were selected to attend the Junior National Championship. The final squad was trimmed to 18-players plus three replacement athletes.
"We have selected a very talented squad and are excited to see their potential unfold over the coming weeks,” said Jennings. “It will be a big challenge but the skill, speed and unity of our team will represent us in great fashion.”
The U.S. qualified for the Junior World Cup by finishing third at the 2012 Pan American Junior Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The Junior World Cup features 16-teams split into four pools of four teams each. Following pool play, teams will either move into a placement round for the bottom eight finishers or advance to the quarterfinal, semifinal and final round.
The U.S. has been placed in Pool A, featuring the Netherlands, Korea and Ghana. Pool B includes Argentina, China, South Africa and Canada. Pool C is made up of New Zealand, Australia, India and Russia and Pool D features England, Germany, Belgium and Spain.
The U.S. will open pool play at the Junior World Cup against Korea on Saturday, July 27, followed by the Netherlands on July 28. The U.S. will close out pool play against Ghana on July 30. The quarterfinals will be played on Thursday, August 1, the semi-finals on August 2 and the gold and bronze medal match on August 4.
Read the full story and see the full roster by USA Field Hockey here.