USA Captures Junior Pan Am Gold, Tamer Earns Tournament MVP
4/19/2023 11:40:00 AM | Field Hockey
SAINT MICHAEL, Barbados -- University of Michigan sophomore Abby Tamer helped guide the USA Field Hockey U-21 Women's National Team to the gold medal at the 2023 Junior Pan American Championships (JPAC) on Tuesday (April 18) at the Wildey Hockey Centre. Tamer was honored with the tournament's Most Valuable Player award.
Team USA defeated Argentina, 2-1, in a shootout in the gold-medal final -- a team they had lost to 2-0 earlier in pool play. The USA squad scored first on a third-quarter penalty corner, drawn by Tamer, but Argentina answered just nine minutes later with a corner goal of its own. The Red, White and Blue dominated the shootout, however, winning 4-1, with a Tamer goal in the third round.
The USA went 3-1 in the tournament, also earning wins over Uruguay (4-1) and Chile (2-1 SO). Tamer scored goals in both wins in addition to her shootout tally in the final.
It was the USA's second win in the Junior Pan Am. USA also won in 2008, while Argentina has captured gold in seven of the 10 JPAC events since its 1988 inauguration. With its performance, Team USA also earned qualification to the FIH Junior World Cup, scheduled for Dec. 6-17, in Santiago, Chile.
Tamer previously competed with Team USA at the 2022 Junior World Cup and the 2021 Junior Pan American Championship, contributing to a bronze-medal finish in the latter event. She was also named to the U.S. Senior Women's National Team in March.
She has appeared in 39 games in two seasons at Michigan, starting 28 at forward and midfield. She owns 13 career goals and nine assists, ranking among the team leaders with nine goals last fall, and was named to the NFHCA All-West Region second team in 2022.
