SANTIAGO, Chile — Amanda Woodcroft scored as the Canadian women's field hockey team defeated the U.S. 1-0 in the bronze-medal game at the Pan American Cup to earn a berth in the FIH Women’s World Cup for the first time since 1994.
Saturday's contest was the final chance for the teams to qualify for the Women’s World Cup in July in Spain and the Netherlands.
Woodcroft scored from a penalty corner with just seconds remaining in the first quarter.
"I have so many emotions," said Canada captain Natalie Sourisseau. "This team has been through so much. For example, they couldn’t train for five weeks before the tournament because of the weather. The team hasn’t qualified in 28 years and it feels pretty special to have done that.
"Our job was to concentrate on this tournament and the qualification. Now we will plan the next steps."
The Canadian women, ranked 15th in the world compared to No. 13 for the U.S., had missed out on the last six World Cups since finishing 10th in 1994.
No. 3 Argentina played No. 18 Chile in the Pan American Cup final.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2022.
The Canadian Press
