Canada’s women’s indoor national team opened the 2014 Indoor Pan American Cup with a convincing 10-0 win over international field hockey powerhouse and reigning champion Argentina Monday evening in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Canada wasted no time making their mark as Waterloo, Ontario’s Amanda Woodcroft, netted the game’s first goal in the second minute. Woodcroft scored three goals in the game and was a prominent figure in the team’s offense.
After opening the scoring, Woodcroft, 20, followed up with goals in the fifth and twentieth minutes to complete the hat trick.
Madison Thompson (Waterloo, Ont.) and Alexandra Thicke (North Vancouver, B.C.) were the next to add to the tally, both scoring their first international goals, helping Canada to a 5-0 lead after the first half.
While Canada spent most of the first half with the ball, goalkeeper Kathryn Williams was still forced to make a few big saves early, particularly off Argentina’s penalty corner opportunities, to keep the team’s lead secure.
Argentina was unable to reply in the second half, while Canada kept on rolling.
Jocelyn Mitchell (Ottawa, Ont.) and Kri Shier (North Vancouver, B.C.) scored early and a minute apart in the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth minutes to extend Canada’s lead to 7-0. In the thirty-first minute, Thompson, who plays her club hockey at Kent State University in Ohio, notched her second of the game to give the Canadians an 8-0 lead.
Kyesia O’Neale (Mississauga, Ont.) and Shannon Pereira (Scarborough, Ont.) rounded out the scoring late in the second half, to bring the final score to 10-0, and Canada secured its first win of the tournament in convincing fashion. The win bodes well for Canada as the tournament winner secures a berth in the 2015 Indoor World Cup to be held in Germany next February.
Full for the full match sheet, click here.
Next up for the Canadian women is a duel with North American rival, the United States, Tuesday evening. Canada and the U.S. played in a friendly series in Toronto in March, with the States winning two of three games. Canada will look to draw on that experience in Tuesday game, which is set for 3:30pm PST/7:30pm EST.
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Written with files from Carla Johl.
Photo: Blair Shier.
