June 27, 2011

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - UMass field hockey players Mika Black, Hannah Prince, Alexa Sikalis, and Kim Young concluded play over the weekend representing New England at the USA Field Hockey Women's Junior National Championship in Virginia Beach, Va. The four, along with head coach Carla Tagliente, who assisted the New England squad, went 3-2-1 and finished in fifth place.

After scoring goals on Monday and Tuesday in a win and a tie, Young stayed red-hot late in the week, scoring a goal in a 4-2 victory over the South in the penultimate game of round-robin play. The rising junior scored off a one-timer in the sixth minute to open the scoring. Rising sophomore Sikalis netted her first goal of the tournament in the 38th minute off a rebound.

On the final day of round-robin, Sikalis struck again and gave New England the early 1-0 lead, knocking home another rebound off a penalty corner, but the Mid-Atlantic squad went on to a 2-1 victory.

Young opened the scoring again in the fifth-place match against the South, scoring her fourth goal of the tournament in the 12th minute on a penalty corner, leading New England to a 2-1 victory.

The New Jersey squad went on to win the tournament.

The High Performance Women's Junior National Championship is a six-team tournament for U-21 players from regions throughout the country. Tryouts for each region were held in May with final selections being finalized in June. Four of the 18 players selected for the New England Team are from UMass.