Today, the United States U-21 men’s and women’s national field hockey teams start their road to the next Junior World Cup competitions when they start pool play in British Columbia at the Junior Pan Am Championships.
The field hockey teams are the first to take to the field this summer as what could be a formative summer and fall for several youth national teams in the United States. The women take the field at 5 p.m. against Uruguay, and the men take on Chile at 7:30 p.m.
The American women’s team, defending champions of the JPAC, should be favored to do it again. It has several players who have won the U.S. colors before, in both the indoor and outdoor disciplines. The team also has a number of players who are proven scorers, such as Hope Rose, Olivia Bent-Cole, Maci Bradford, Ryleigh Heck, and Josie Hollamon.
I think one player to keep your eye on is Daniela Mendez-Trendler, who was an absolute standout at Owings Mills Garrison Forest (Md.) and the University of Virginia. Her creative finishing will serve her well at this level.
As for the men, keep an eye on Corey Dykema, who had three sisters play at Division I Liberty University. He also prepped with the same Saints Hockey Rocks club side while being home-schooled. It should be interesting to see how this team jells together over the course of the tournament.