USA Field Hockey Takes Silver at Pan American Games
July 25, 2007 | Field Hockey
July 25, 2007
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - - The USA Field Hockey women's national team saw their gold medal hopes denied and their Olympic qualifying quest prolonged as the USA lost to six-time champion Argentina in the Pan American Games championship match. USA Field Hockey assistant coach Pam Bustin will now return to the United States to prepare for the 2007 U of L field hockey season.
The USA also saw its Olympic qualifying quest put on hold as Argentina claimed the continent's automatic berth in the 2008 Olympic Games. The USA must now wait for an assignment to one of three of next year's Olympic qualifying tournaments in Baku, Azerbaijan (April 12-20), Kazan, Russia (April 19-27) or Vancouver, B.C. (April 26-May 4). The USA will need to win its six-team qualifier to earn a trip to Beijing.
The USA appeared to be ready to end Argentina's streak of five straight Pan Am Games championships when Tiffany Snow converted a penalty corner in the 33rd minute to give the USA a 1-0 halftime lead.
But the defending champions roared back in the second half as Alejandra Gulla tied the game at 1-1 three minutes into the second stanza. Rosario Luchetti's field goal nine minutes later started a sting of three straight Argentina goals in a six-minute span as Augustina Bouza and Claudia Burkart increased the Argentina lead to 4-1.
Kelly Doton scored the game's final goal for the USA on a penalty corner with 12 minutes left in the game, but it wasn't enough to keep Argentina from clinching another gold medal and earning its spot in the Olympic Games.
Argentina now joins host China, Africa champion South Africa and Asian Games runner-up Japan as teams clinching spots in the 2008 Olympic Games. Australia and New Zealand will likely receive the two Oceania quota berths at the Games as the only two traditional participants in the Oceania Cup (Sept. 10-17, 2007). The remaining European championship berth and the two European quota selections will be decided at the EuroHockey Nations Cup, Aug. 18-25 in Manchester, England. Three Olympic qualifying tournaments in April 2008 will round out the 12-team women's field in Beijing.
Release provided by USA Field Hockey
