June 29, 2005

The USA World Cup Team held the Czech Republic to just one goal in the first round of crossovers today (June 28) while scoring 20, including the first 16 of the game, as the Americans advanced in the 2005 IFWLA World Cup, which is being held at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. The USA dominated the draw controls, winning 18 of the 23 in the match, with Quinn Carney winning five of them. Dani Gallagher, the Player of the Match, led all scorers with one goal and six assists. The Americans earn the #2 seed and will play the winner of the Scotland/New Zealand match on Thursday (June 30) at 5:00 pm at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium.

The Czechs won the opening draw control, but Jo Connelly caused a turnover and scooped up the ground ball, starting a USA transition that led to an American settled attack. Out of the attack, Cherie Greer took a feed from Quinn Carney and raced in from the top, scoring 48 seconds into the game to take a 1-0 lead. Carney won the draw control and the Americans worked the ball upfield where Crista Samaras took a shot that went wide. Randee Goldsborough collected the loose ball and got off a shot that went wide. Greer controlled the ground ball and the Americans set their attack. Carney was fouled on a reception in the arc, and she was awarded an 11-meter shot. She converted, putting the Stars and Stripes up 2-0.

Carney won the draw, and she fed the ball to Goldsborough, who passed it up to Samaras, who in turn dumped the ball back to Goldsborough on a give-and-go. Goldsborough quicksticked the ball into the cage for a goal just 17 seconds after Carney for a 3-0 lead.

Connelly won the draw control and the Americans worked the ball up where Goldsborough took a shot that was saved. The Yanks corralled the loose ball and Carney's shot went wide. The Americans again controlled the ball but lost it; however, the Czechs turned the ball back over and goalie Chris Lindsey picked up the loose ball. The Americans cleared the ball up to their offensive zone where they settled their attack. Kate Kaiser drew a shooting space foul and she converted it, giving the Yanks a 4-0 lead.

Carney again won the draw control and the Americans again worked the ball up where a shot was saved, and the Czechs attempted a clear. Kaiser caused a turnover and picked up the ground ball, sending it to Lindsey, who started a clear. At the other end of the field, Gallagher fed Samaras, who was cutting down the arc. Samaras scored, putting the USA up 5-0. Sarah Nelson won the draw, and a Samaras shot hit the pipe but the Americans retained control. Another American shot was saved and again the Czechs started the clear. Greer and Bonnie Rosen doubled the ball, and Rosen came up with the ground ball. She led Greer with a pass upfield, who carried the ball up before passing to Goldsborough. Goldsborough sent the ball up to Samaras, who drew a shooting space foul. On the restart, Samaras fed Lauren Aumiller, who scored to put the USA up 6-0.

Greer won the draw control and Kelly Amonte Hiller's shot went wide, but the Americans gained control. Aumiller drew a shooting space foul, and her shot was saved. The Americans retained possession on an empty stick check, and they reworked their offense to a quickstick goal as Gallagher fed Samaras for a 7-0 lead.

Nelson again won the draw control and Goldsborough got off a shot that was saved. The Czech clear was broken by a Kara Cooke interception, and Gallagher got off a shot that was saved. The Czechs were able to get the ball upfield, but they were offsides and the Americans took possession at the restraining line. The teams turned the ball over each before the Americans got off a pair of shots, retaining possession behind the cage each time. They settled their attack and Samaras dumped the ball inside to Carney, who quicksticked the ball into the cage for an 8-0 lead at 21:41.

Aumiller won the draw but the Yanks turned the ball over before Aumiller picked up an errant Czech throw, and the Americans settled their attack. Sommar dumped the ball into the arc to a waiting Carney, who scored two minutes after her previous goal to put the USA up 9-0.

Sommar won the draw, and the Americans quickly moved the ball up where Goldsborough dumped the ball into Gallagher, who quicksticked the ball into the cage 50 seconds after Carney's second goal.

The Czechs won the draw and they got off a shot, that Lindsey saved, but the Czechs retained possession. Cooke caused a turnover and Rachael Becker scooped up the ground ball. The Americans worked the ball upfield, where they briefly lost possession before Greer scooped up the loose ball and drove to the cage, scoring at 26:16 to put the USA up 11-0.

Becker won the draw, and the Americans brought the ball into their offensive zone where Gallagher took the ball behind the cage before firing a pass to Aumiller, who quicksticked it into the cage for a goal 68 seconds after Greer's goal.

Cooke won the draw, and the Americans got the ball to Jess Wilk, who fired off a shot that was saved. The ball fell to the ground, and Wilk used a field hockey like motion to fire the ball into the back of the net just 50 seconds after Aumiller's goal.

The Czechs won the draw, but Cooke caused a turnover and Aumiller scooped up the ground ball. The Stars and Stripes settled their attack, and Wilk dumped the ball over to Carney, who quicksticked the ball into the cage with just 19 seconds remaining in the half, putting the Americans up 14-0 at the break.

Connelly won the draw to open the second half, and the Americans quickly settled their attack before Goldsborough took the ball behind the cage and fed Carney, who converted the feed at 33:30 to put the USA up 15-0. Connelly again won the draw, and Greer took a shot that was saved, giving the Czechs the ball. They turned the ball over and Cooke was there to pick up the loose ball. An Aumiller shot was saved, and the Czecks picked up the loose ball, but they threw it out of bounds.

The Americans settled their attack and Gallagher fed Goldsborough, who was on the left side of the cage. Goldsborough fired a low shot that skimmed along the ground into the back of the net, putting the USA up 16-0 at 35:15.

The Czechs won the draw, and they quickly brought the ball upfield where Merrellova found Veronika Brychcinova in the arc, who scored to put the Czechs on the board at 38:24.

Again the Czechs won the draw, but Becker caused a turnover and Sommar corralled the loose ball. Connelly shot the ball and the Czechs picked up the ground ball. At the other end of the field, Becker stole the ball away and passed it up to Goldsborough, who took the ball upfield where Gallagher dumped the ball into the arc to Aumiller, who scored her third goal of the game and put the USA up 17-1.

Aumiller won the draw to herself and the Americans got off a shot that was saved, and the Czechs cleared the ball upfield where they got off a shot that Lindsey stopped, giving the Americans possession. They subsequently turned it over, but the Czechs gave it right back and Kaiser was there to pick up the loose ball. The Yanks brought the ball upfield and settled their attack before Gallagher brought the ball behind the cage and dumped it into a wide-open Connelly, who converted the pass for Gallagher's sixth assist of the game.

The Czechs again won the draw, but Goldsborough caused a turnover and Sommar picked up the loose ball. The Americans settled their attack, and as Sommar drove to the cage she was fouled and placed on the 11-meter. She converted the free position shot, putting the USA up 19-0.

Gallagher won the draw, and a shot from Rosen hit the pipe and ricocheted out where the Czechs gained control. Aumiller caused a turnover and picked up the ground ball, but the teams traded turnovers, with Nelson getting the ball back for the Americans. A shot from Gallagher hit the pipe, and the Americans regained possession. A Becker shot went wide, but Nelson was there for the ground ball. The Americans re-attacked, and Rosen was fouled on a drive to the cage. Her 11-meter shot was saved, but the Czechs threw the ball away and Samaras picked up the loose ball. Another shot from Rosen hit the pipe, but Sommar retained possession for the Americans. Again the Yanks worked the ball to Rosen, who drew another foul on the 11-meter. Her free position shot went into the net with one second left in the game, giving the USA the 20-1 win.

The Yanks will next play the winner of the Scotland-New Zealand game. These two teams will play at 11:00 am on Wednesday (June 29).