AUCKLAND, New Zealand - With just two more days to go until the end of the 2024 World Masters Hockey (WMH) World Cup in Auckland, New Zealand, all U.S. Masters Teams find themselves preparing for placement games, with the O-60 Men still vying for a spot in the 5th-8th placement round. The O-45 Men, O-50 and O-65 Women will all play for 7th-8th place, while the O-55 Men and O-60 Women will compete for 9th-10th.
Day 7: November 12 #
O-50 Women (Friendly): USA 1 - 8 New Zealand #
In a tough battle on the field, the O-50 Women fell to New Zealand, 8-1, in a hard-fought match. While the scoreline was in favor of the Kiwis, USA showed resilience and determination throughout the game, especially in the early stages and late defensive efforts.
The match started with both teams feeling each other out, but USA made a strong statement in the first quarter. Goalkeeper Jen Anderson (Owings Mills, Md.) was instrumental in keeping New Zealand at bay, making several key saves that dulled New Zealand’s attack. Meanwhile, USA's offense created some promising counter-attack opportunities but were unable to capitalize. New Zealand was held to a 1-0 lead through the first quarter, thanks to a solid USA defensive effort.
New Zealand came out firing in the second quarter, stepping up their pressure on both sides of the ball. Their efforts paid off as they added five goals to their tally, extending their lead to 6-0 by the halftime break. Despite the mounting pressure, USA's defense fought valiantly, with Anderson continuing to make some important saves, but the gap proved too wide to close in the first half.
USA responded with a determined effort in the third quarter, showing heart and tenacity. In a set team USA attack, Moira Leavitt (Davidsonville, Md.) provided a centering pass for Nori McCargo (San Diego, Calif.). McCargo then struck the ball hard into the circle, allowing Carol Gulija (Flemington, N.J.) to get a crucial tip for the goal. USA cut the deficit to now 8-1 and gave their fans something to cheer about as they regained some momentum.
In the final frame, the USA defense held strong, preventing any further goals from New Zealand despite the continued pressure. Goalkeeper Meg Dudek (Ashburn, Va.) made several key stops to ensure the scoreline didn’t grow any larger. However, the USA attack was unable to break through the New Zealand defense, and the match concluded with a final score of 8-1 in favor of the Kiwis.
Alhough the result was a tough one, USA showed heart and grit, and will look to build on these positives as they move forward in the competition.
O-45 Men 5th-8th: USA 1 - 3 New Zealand #
Like all their matches, the O-45 Men put on a display of hardwork and resilience against New Zealand in the 5th-8th placement game. The first quarter closed scoreless, but the USA forwards showed their offensive prowess, breaking through the New Zealand defense with sharp passing and creating three excellent scoring opportunities. Federico Baudini (Doral, Fla.) fired an upright reverse on goal, but New Zealand’s goalkeeper managed a critical save to keep the game scoreless. Midway through off a penalty corner Shawn Hindy (Moorpark, Calif.) saw his flick also saved by New Zealand's goalkeeper.
USA’s relentless pressure continued, but in the second quarter, the Black Sticks capitalized on a rare chance in the 22nd minute. The shot on goal was initially saved by USA goalkeeper Michael Caddy (Drake, Colo.), but a New Zealand player positioned nearby converted the rebound to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
The scoreline of 1-0 didn't change in the third as both sides saw opportunities but couldn't capitalize. The Black Sticks even had four penalty corner chances in a row but couldn't get through Caddy and company.
Two minutes into the fourth, New Zealand found the back of the net again on a 4v3 situation. Two minutes after that Sudhir Subbaiah (Issaquah, Wash.) earned a penalty corner for USA. Jatinder Dhaliwal (Elk Grove, Calif.) took a powerful shot that the New Zealand goalkeeper stopped, but the ball rebounded to DC Juneja (Clovis, Calif.), who seized the chance and scored, narrowing the gap to 2-1. Despite USA’s efforts to equalize, New Zealand managed to score once more in the middle of the fourth quarter, sealing the game with a 3-1 victory.
The O-45 Men will play Germany in the 7th-8th match.
O-65 Women 5th-8th: USA 0 - 4 New Zealand #
The O-65 Women suffered a disappointing 0-4 loss against a superbly-disciplined New Zealand side. Play was under the lights and featured strong stick skills and speed from New Zealand. The Kiwis scored in the first quarter from circle play and then again in the second from a penalty corner. They then scored their third goal off of a penalty stroke in the third quarter. The final frame saw a bit more life from USA, with several chances to score off of penalty corners and a penalty stroke; unfortunately, they could not convert these chances into goals. New Zealand scored their final goal in the fourth quarter off a penalty corner. Despite the strength of their opposition, USA remained gritty and determined to the end.
The O-65 Women will take on Canada in the 7th-8th place contest.
Day 8: November 13 #
O-60 Men Quarterfinal: USA 1 - 2 France #
After meeting just the previous game, the O-60 Men knew what they were in for when they faced France in the quarterfinals. A narrow contest from the start, the scoring didn't open until the 53rd minute and saw USA fall in heartbreaking fashion on a goal in the last 18 seconds of the game.
Through the first three quarters, possession was relatively even, with a few set pieces to France. USA got their first penaty corner at the start of the third when a hard foul outside the circle was upgraded, but couldn't capitalize on the chance. Midway through USA goalkeeper Warren Prestwich (Towson, Md.) made a great save on a low-angle backhand shot and came up with another big save on a France penalty stroke attempt. Both sides shared penalty corner looks to close out the period but the match remained scoreless.
In the 53rd minute, France scored after quick passing got the ball around Prestwich. Five minutes later, USA equalized when a long ball got through to Mahesh Saraswat (Northridge, Calif.) who swept it into the goal. As time ticked down it seemed like it would go into a shootout but with 34 seconds to go, France earned a set piece and capitalized off a goalmouth scramble for the win.
With the defeat, the O-60 Men will play New Zealand for 5th-8th placement.
Photo by World Masters Hockey
O-60 Women (Friendly): USA 0 - 5 Australia IMC #
In a friendly contest before they vie for 9th-10th place, the O-60 Women took on Australia IMC. It was a good match to get more kinks out, as they were topped by the Hockeyroos 5-0.
Australia opened the scoring in the 5th minute on a penalty corner and added another in the 14th. They took a 3-0 halftime lead, adding a set piece goal int he 23rd minute. Australia tallied twice more, once the in the 37th minute and again in the 60th.
The O-60 Women will take on Argentina in the 9th-10th place contest.
O-50 Women 5th-8th: USA 0 - 2 Ireland #
Statistics would show an uneven match, but USA held their own and had some control of the play against Ireland. The first half finished scorelss, but not without USA goalkeeper Anderson and the defensive unit successfully fending off three Ireland penalty corners.
At the start of the third, goalkeeper Dudek resumed four more set piece stops. USA had a defensive lapse at the end of the period as they allowed two goals within 2 minutes. The first was a long ball that was deflected in by an unmarked Ireland striker, and the next a hard shot from the edge of the circle that found the far boards.
USA produced some attack in the final quarter but their efforts went unrewarded.
The O-50 Women will face South Africa in the 7th-8th place game.
For more information on the WMH World Cup Auckland, including schedule, results, rosters and livestream information, check out the event page by clicking here.
