TERASSA, Spain - July 29, 2018 - The second day of the EXIN Masters World Cup saw eight of the nine USA teams compete in Terassa, Spain.
O-40 Men's 0 vs. Australia 7
The U.S. O-40 Men's Masters Team gave it their all against two-time defending O-40 champions, Australia, but were unable to fend off their strong attack as they fell 0-7.
O-45 Men's 0 vs. Australia 4
It was a rough day for U.S. O-45 Men's National Team as they took on No. 1 ranked Australia. The early morning match saw Australia taking the initiative from the pushback as their strikers and midfielders pushed the USA defense to the limit. Notwithstanding, the defensive block led by Saran Mandair (San Jose, Calif.), Barry Payne (Auburndale, Mass.), Rino Bouwman (Ventura, Calif.), Chip Rogers (Oxford, Ohio) and Barry Merriman (Washington, D.C.) took on Australia, held back their attack one wave after the other and the first quarter ended goalless.
A strong spell by Australia in the second quarter caught US on their back foot and led the opposition to score three goals in succession. Half time helped Team USA regain their composure and saw no more action on the scoreboard despite efforts from both sides on goal.
Early in the final quarter an unfortunate rebound off the goalkeeper fell right on the stick of an Australia striker who pushed it off midair to score the final goal of the match. It was a strong display from USA against a squad strongly favored to win the competition. At the end of the game, USA’s Alvaro Salcedo (Baltimore, Md.) was recognized by Australia as the Man of the Match for his display in midfield.
The U.S. O-45 Men's Masters Team returned to the pitch today against Wales at 2:00 p.m. ET.
O-50 Men's 3 vs. Canada 2
O-55 Men's 0 vs. The Netherlands 1
The U.S. O-55 Men's Masters Team came of age in an evenly fought game against their division favorite, The Netherlands.
A 7th minute goal after a long through pass and 1v1 between USA goalkeeper Jon O’Haire (Columbus, Ohio) and The Netherlands X Jacobs when the striker's skillfully evaded O’Haire’s diving tackle.
USA pressed their opponents throughput the remainder of the game and would have deserved a tie. USA's second half goalkeeper Warren Prestwich (Towson, Md.) played the game of his life making at least a half dozen breathtaking saves.
The last quarter of the game was an all out end-to-end struggle with USA strikers Ian Tapsall (Fairfield, Conn), Tommy Khoo (Bethesda, Md.) and Jeremy Roberts (Beltsville, Md.) putting continual pressure on The Netherland's defense by winning four penalty corners and narrowly missing the elusive equalizer.
The U.S. O-55 Men's Masters Team has today off but will return to the pitch on Monday to face Scotland at 11:35 a.m. ET.
O-35 Women's 0 vs. England 4
The U.S. Women’s O-35 Masters Team debuted against a strong squad from England resulting in a 0-4 loss. Out of the gates, England maintained a steady attack that had USA on their heels and converted their first goal late in the first quarter. Despite a solid defensive effort, led by goalkeepers Heather Long (Pottstown, Pa.) and Nicky Baudini (Doral, Fla.), England was able to capitalize in each quarter of the game. USA looks to build on the positives from today’s performance as they take the pitch against Australia in their next match.O-40 Women's 1 vs. Zimbabwe 3
Zimbabwe used a strong passing game to keep the U.S. Women's O-40 Masters Team on their heels and scored on a penalty corner to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. The Zimbabwe squad capitalized on several USA turnovers in the third quarter, including an interception followed by a reverse shot to score their second goal. They scored their final goal of the match on a baseline run. USA avoided the shutout with a goal by Marije Toth (Erie, Colo.) on an assist by Tamika Smith (Elkridge, Md.) midway through the fourth quarter.
O-45 Women's 0 vs. Russia 2
In a very physical game, the U.S. Women's O-45 Masters Team fell 0-2 to Russia. In the first half, Russia had three offensive corner opportunities, two of which goalkeeper Jen Anderson (Owings Mills, Md.) held off. In the second corner, a shot from the top to the far post produced the first Russia goal. Despite many attempts from Patti Webb (Monkton, Md.) in the backfield, USA struggled was a unit to create scoring opportunities. The second half was again physical and saw three corner opportunities for Russia. Goalkeeper Maya Harutyunyan (Glendale, Calif.) shut all three corners down. The second Russia goal however came in the third quarter off a shot from the top.
O-55 Women's 3 vs. Wales 1
The U.S. Women's O-55 Masters Team opened their EXIN Masters World Cup tournament with a 3-1 victory over Wales. In the first quarter, USA’s Karen Croteau (Harpswell, Maine) tipped a shot by Diane Molinaro (Quakertown, Pa.) into the back of the goal to score the team's first international goal. Even play finished out the second quarter with USA goalkeeper Donna Chung (Canton, Mass.) solid in goal. In the third quarter, Wales scored an equalizer off of field play. USA continued to build their attack in the fourth quarter. Lisa Cropper (Franklin, Mass.) carried baseline and passed to Barb Marois who found the back of the net. With under six minutes to play, USA was awarded a penalty corner and Marois put the game away with a goal off the goalkeeper's pads. Coach Janelle Benner and manager Ashley Johnston will prepare Team USA O-55 for their next match at Club Egara versus Scotland tomorrow evening.
For more information regarding the EXIN Masters World Cup, including full schedule, results, roster, live stream information, and more, check out the official event program by clicking here.