Michigan Trio Sends USA Field Hockey to World Cup
6/25/2002 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Fuchs, the captain of the U.S. team since 1990, netted two goals in the win as the U.S. overcame a 1-0 deficit with three markers in the second half.
Playing in her U.S.-record 219th international match, Fuchs scored on a penalty stroke to tie the game at 1-1 a minute into the second half before Gannon gave the Americans the lead for good, scoring on a diving field goal just two minutes later. Fuchs completed the scoring in the 49th minute, netting a goal on a penalty corner for her fourth tally of the series.
Storrar, the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. team, allowed just one goal and backstopped the Americans to their sixth straight appearance in the World Cup.
In the first two games of the series, India and the United States played to 1-1 ties, with Fuchs scoring the U.S. goal in each game.
The win over India concluded a long and much-delayed qualifying process that began when the U.S. was unable to attend the 16-team World Cup Qualifying Tournament last September following the terrorist attacks on New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. At that time, the FIH granted the U.S. an alternative opportunity to qualify for the World Cup by playing the qualifier's seventh-place team in a best-of-three series. India eventually claimed seventh place at the qualifier.
World events further delayed the playing of the series, including the most recent attempt to determine the final World Cup team. Scheduled for June 3-5 in New Delhi, the series was again rescheduled when a U.S. State Department warning forced the U.S. team to return home prior to the start of the games.
The series eventually moved to the Cannock Hockey Club in Cannock, England.
The U.S. will enter the World Cup as the No. 11 seed and will play in Pool B with No. 2 The Netherlands, No. 3 Australia, No. 6 Spain, No. 7 England, No. 10 South Africa, No. 14 Japan and No. 15 Ireland. Pool A includes No. 1 Argentina, No. 4 China, No. 5 New Zealand, No. 8 Korea, No. 9 Germany, No. 12 Russia, No. 13 Ukraine and No. 15 Scotland.
Michigan, the 2001 NCAA champion, will face the U.S. National Team in an exhibition contest on Friday, Aug. 23. Game time is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Ocker Field on the U-M campus.
Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423
