For the next two weeks, 36 of Canada’s best field hockey athletes under the age of 21 are competing in Guadalajara, Mexico at the 2012 Pan American Junior Championships. The Men’s and Women’s Junior National Teams are pursuing the same goal: qualification for the 2013 Junior World Cup.
Today both teams got off to a great start. The Junior Women shut out Brazil with a solid 7 – 0 victory this morning. Canada’s ladies have been intensely focused on preparing for this tournament since April, and they are definitely happy to see the work paying off.
“It’s a good result – that’s what we were looking for – a win,” says Defender Abigail Raye (Kelowna, BC). “It went really well, the team played well. We’re now going to get ready for our next opponent.”
Canada’s Women will take on Uruguay tomorrow at 5:45pm in Guadalajara. And they will be looking for another win. At the end of the tournament, the two highest placed teams will earn spots at the 2013 Junior World Cup, so every point counts.
The Junior Men are also competing for one of two tickets to the 2013 Junior World Cup. They took their first step toward that goal today with their huge 12 – 0 win over Puerto Rico. This team is focused on winning each match in this tournament. Their next match is on Wednesday against Uruguay at 5:00pm in Guadalajara.
Visit www.fieldhockey.ca/JrPanAm for full tournament coverage. Join the conversation on Twitter @fieldhockeycan #JuniorPanAm.
UPCOMING MATCHES
Sept 11 (5:45pm) Women: Canada vs Uruguay
Sept 12 (4:00pm) Men: Canada vs Uruguay
Sept 14 (12:30pm) Men: Canada vs Mexico
Sept 14 (5:45pm) Women: Canada vs Argentina
Sept 16 (4:00pm) Women: Canada vs Mexico
*All times local time in Guadalajara, Mexico.