Following three days of women’s pool-play competition at the Pan American Games, hosted Jul. 13-24 in Toronto, Canada, the quarter-final brackets are set. Pool leaders Argentina and USA will cross-over with Cuba and the Dominican Republic, respectively, while middle-of-the-pack results pits Chile against Mexico and hosts Canada against Uruguay. Quarter-finals will take place on 20 July with game times being modified to 9:00, 11:30, 17:00 and 19:30 to allow for the possibility of shoot outs.
Argentina (1st Pool A ) vs. Cuba (4th Pool B) – 20 July at 9:00
Following a 3-0 record in pool play, world ranked No. 3 Argentina enter the classification round as the clear favorites. Las Leonas notched 26 goals for and have yet to be scored against. With eight players boasting over 100 caps, Argentina have benefited from the talents of penalty corner specialist Noel Barrionuevo who leads the tournament with five goals, while Agustina Albertario and Delfina Merino each have four. Cuba are 0-3 in pool play but did open the tournament keeping Chile to a 3-2 lead at half time before going on to lose 7-2. In their second match Cuba lost 3-2 to Uruguay. Cuba’s Marisbel Sierra has two goals for the team, while Rosanna Paselle has proved herself in net on multiple occasions.
Chile (2nd Pool B) vs. Mexico (3rd Pool A) – 20 July at 11:30
It will be a tight match between Chile and Mexico for a spot in the semifinals. Chile were 2-1 in pool play and proved their experience in their game against USA. Captain Camila Caram anchored a composed defensive unit that held USA to a 2-0 win. On the offensive Caram sisters Camila and Daniela each have two goals. Despite opening the tournament with a 9-0 loss to Argentina, Mexico have steadily held their own. A 1-1 draw with the Dominican Republic was an important point for the team that is led by captain Jennifer Valdes and goalkeeper Jesus Castillo. Twenty-seven-year-old Castillo was outstanding in limiting Canada to a 4-0 win making several exciting saves throughout the match.
USA (1st Pool B) vs. Dominican Republic (4th Pool A) – 20 July at 17:00
Ranked No. 5 in the world, USA have brought a fast, fit and fearless squad that cruised to a 3-0 record in pool play. Also with no goals against USA have had lots of success finding the back of the net with 19 goals for. Although forward Jill Witmer leads the USA with three goals, the team has shown the ability to score from a variety of places and so far through 10 different scorers. Captain Lauren Crandall has been the team’s commander in the back field, while the experience of Katie O’Donnell, Paige Selenski and Katie Reinprecht has driven the offense. The Dominican Republic have still been finding their way in the tournament posting two losses and a draw with Mexico. Benifer Moronta and Magalys Ortega have been the visible leaders on the team, keeping their squad as organized and composed as possible.
Canada (2nd Pool A) vs. Uruguay (3rd Pool B) – 20 July 19:30
Hosts Canada are 2-1 in pool play after a 12-1 win over Dominican Republic, 4-0 win over Mexico and 5-0 loss to Argentina. Penalty corner flicker Karli Johansen has played a key role scoring on two penalty strokes and one flick to date, while the young squad has been backed well by keeper Kaitlyn Williams. Defender Abigail Raye, midfielder Brienne Stairs and forward Hannah Haughn have had consistently notable offensive performances throughout the tournament. Uruguay are 1-2 in pool play and although have showed quality defensive abilities have yet to find their strides in the other end, scoring just three goals in their 3-2 win over Cuba. Keeper Rossana Paselle will be expected to continue her quality performances in net, while captain and central defender Sofia Mora has kept the middle of the pitch organized.
Women’s quarter-final matches begin on 20 July and semifinals continue 22 July. Finals are set for 24 July. All classification games will go straight to penalty shootouts if it is a draw after regulation time. For schedules, scores, video, photos and more visit panamhockey.org/en/competitions-40
