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Field Hockey Canada > Team Canada defeats Uruguay and claims historic Pan American gold

Team Canada defeats Uruguay and claims historic Pan American gold

Feature Photo: Rodrigo Jaramillo (PAHF)

August 28, 2021 | Field Hockey Canada | fieldhockey.ca

Canadian Junior Women’s National Team close out an undefeated Pan American Games with 1-0 win over Uruguay in the championship match

After playing to a 0-0 draw in pool play, Canada took down Uruguay in the finals, capping off an incredible undefeated run at the 2021 Pan American Games. The gold medal is the first in program history and first Canadian women’s Pan American gold registered at any level.

By defeating Chile in the semifinals, Canada had already secured their berth in the 2021 Junior World Cup. They came into the finals riding high off the semifinal win and carried the momentum into the gold medal match. After three quarters of scoreless play, Canada’s penalty corner unit earned a PC in the 53rd minute. Anna Mollenhauer, one of Canada’s stalwart defenders and corner takers, mashed in a PC rocket, to give Canada the lead.

Canada defeats Uruguay in the Pan Am gold medal match in Santiago. Photos/ PAHF Rodrigo Jaramillo

The Canadian goalkeepers remained unbeaten for the entire tournament, recording four consecutive clean sheets (0-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0). Lucy Wheeler held the net for the first three games and Ishaval Sekhon blanked Uruguay in the finals. Canada’s defending was the story of the event, bending but never breaking. The defensive unit of Mollenhauer, Sara Goodman and Madison Workman kept teams at bay all event long.

Argentina has won seven of the previous eight iterations of this event, with USA winning one in 2008. Today’s win will go down in history as the first Canadian Junior Pan American gold for any Team Canada. This is also the first Pan American gold for any Canadian women’s program. The scene after the final whistle was pandemonium. Tears of joy, hugs and celebration.

Patrick Tshutshani, originally from South Africa, took over the program as Women’s Nextgen director in 2019. He will now be heading home for the Junior World Cup, when the event is hosted in Potchefstroom in December. The Canadian women last qualified for the JWC in 2013. They will take the number one seed out of the Pan Americas and look to improve on their previous two finishes of 14th and 15th.

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