First Leg of 2026 WMH Masters World Cup Concludes

After ten days, the nine USA Masters teams playing in Rotterdam and Schiedam, Netherlands for the 2026 World Masters Hockey (WMH) Masters World Cup have wrapped up competition and will head back home.

The Women's O-35 IMC finished with a silver medal, falling to Australia B, 3-1, in the final.

The excitement isn't over yet—USA's six remaining Masters teams will compete in the second leg of the 2026 WMH Masters World Cup in Brasschaat, Belgium and Breda, Netherlands starting Friday, August, 7.

O-35W: USA 3 - 2 Scotland

The USA Women’s O-35 squad capped off its tournament with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Scotland in the 7th/8th place match, securing a 7th-place finish out of 17 teams.

The opening quarter of the 8:00 a.m. match-up was an even battle and remained scoreless after the first 15 minutes. The breakthrough came in the second quarter when Amy Kropinger capitalized on a breakaway, calmly finishing to give USA a 1-0 lead. The red, white and blue doubled their advantage before halftime when Kristie Blumer found the back of the cage, sending USA into the break with a 2-0 cushion. Kropinger struck again in the third quarter, adding her second goal of the match to extend the lead to 3-0 heading into the final frame.

The fourth quarter, however, was anything but comfortable. Scotland pulled its goalkeeper with 13 minutes remaining in an aggressive push to erase the deficit. The strategy paid off quickly as Scotland earned a penalty corner and converted to cut the lead to 3-1. USA generated a few chances to restore its three-goal advantage but was unable to capitalize. As the pressure mounted, the match became increasingly chaotic. USA received three cards throughout the final quarter and spent much of the final period playing shorthanded. At one point, the team was down to just eight field players against Scotland's 11, forcing the defense to dig deep for nearly the entire fourth quarter.

Scotland added a second goal to make it 3-2, setting up a tense finish that had everyone on the edge of their seats. With only minutes remaining, USA spent much of the closing stretch defending relentless Scotland attacks. Despite the adversity and the numerical disadvantage, USA held strong until the final whistle to secure the victory. It was a fitting display of resilience and determination as the USA earned a well-deserved 7th-place finish in a talented 17-team field. Both goalkeepers were recognized for their outstanding performances, each earning game MVP honors after making key saves that helped keep their teams in the match.

O-40W: Spain 0 - 0 (0 - 1 SO) USA

The Women's O-40 squad finished the tournament with a shootout win over Spain to claim 7th place. After a 0-0 deadlock at regulation, USA's Women's O-40 team and Spain went into shootouts. Successful shootouts from Katie Grant and Marisa Frank propelled USA to the 2-1 shootout victory.

Over the course of the tournament, the team grew stronger with every match, making important adjustments and continuing to build confidence and chemistry on the field. Their resilience and commitment to one another were on full display, resulting in a tournament filled with outstanding team hockey. The Women's O-40s represented USA with pride, passion, and sportsmanship, and should be extremely proud of everything they accomplished together.

O-40M: USA 3 - 0 Wales

The USA Men’s O-40 team played their final game of the tournament, vying for 13th place against Wales. Desperate to end their campaign with a respectable 4–2 win-loss record, the Americans were raring to go. Following a grueling, back-and-forth opening period where neither team gave an inch, Ian Stuart broke the deadlock with a brilliant goal right on the stroke of the first-quarter whistle.

The physical tussle continued well into the third quarter. Excellent work up front eventually earned the red, white and blue a penalty corner. Despite the team's struggles with conversions throughout the tournament, Marcello Tronci stepped up in the 41st minute to fire a neat drag flick into the back of the net. Pushing hard and numbers forward, USA struck again in the 44th minute. A beautiful ball found Stuart, who trapped and hit it directly into the corner of the goal for his brace—a strike later deemed the team's goal of the tournament. The game remained chippy until the final whistle, but USA held on firmly to keep a clean sheet, anchored by a stellar performance from tournament MVP Trevor Shattuck in goal. The Men’s O-40s ended in 13th place, though only losing two of their six matches.

O-45W: Spain 3 - 2 USA

The last match for the Women’s O-45 team was against Spain. In a heated back and forth, USA scored two goals. One from the field by Julie Murphy and another off a penalty corner from Jen Judy; both players in perfect position to send the ball into the back of the cage. Despite these efforts, the game closed with Spain on top, 3-2.

Offensive opportunities were consistency fed through the work of the side midfielders Jill Myers, Kelly Williamson, Amy Gendron, and Trina Lisko. Overall, it was a strong team effort, and Myers was named player of the match. USA leaves with immense gratitude and pride. Much was learned; about themselves, hockey, and Dutch culture. Each person is leaving with deepened love of field hockey and each other.

O-50W: South Africa 1 - 1 USA

In their penultimate match, the USA's Women's O-50 team drew against South Africa, 1-1. After trailing most of the match following a first-quarter South Africa goal, USA's Georgina Serenelli notched the equalizer off a penalty stroke in the fourth quarter.

O-50M: Malaysia 1 - 2 USA

A hard-fourth 2-1 victory for the USA Men's O-50s over Malaysia meant a 17th-place finish for the Golden Wolves. Back-to-back goals in the third frame for USA came from TJ Bamrah and Anuj Mubayi.