Better Late Than Never: Sarah Rigual’s Journey
Last month, Sarah Rigual returned home from representing the red, white and blue at the 2026 Junior Pan American Cup in Santiago, Chile. It was a successful trip, seeing that Rigual and the Junior Eagles stepped of the plane with silver medals and a spot at the 2027 FIH Hockey Junior World Cup.
For 21-year-old Rigual, it was her first time playing internationally for the junior squad. She was named to the U.S. U-21 Women’s National Team for the first time in February of this year, one month away from her twenty-first birthday. Some might say she got a late start, but for others who know her story, it made that accomplishment even more impressive.
Field hockey has always been a part of Rigual’s life. With a mother and older sister, Morgan, who both played, it only made sense that she would want to follow in their footsteps. So at just six years old, she began playing—first in the small recreational leagues, then on to the club level. She played for a club in Fredericksburg, Va. called High Voltage from age seven to eighteen. She described High Voltage as a small club compared to others, but one that created a close-knit community and good coach-player relationships.
“Growing up my mom was my recreational, middle school, and high school coach. My mom, my sister, and I all played at the same high school, James Monroe, a very small 3A school. We played on grass and did not have access to Astroturf.”
It made sense to Rigual that her career would continue to progress in a linear way. She would get recruited, finish out playing in high school, then compete in college. But in a championship game her sophomore year of high school, she was injured. The diagnosis was one dreaded by field hockey players around the world: a torn ACL.
“As a very healthy multi-sport athlete, this was very shocking and rocked my world at the time. The worst injury I ever had before this was a broken finger. It was very hard to cope as a young athlete. Due to COVID, we had back-to-back seasons, so I missed my junior season as well.”
This made the recruiting process more difficult for Rigual, but she did not lose hope. Finding the silver lining in the situation, she attests that this loss in interest from some coaches led her to something better: a college that fit and coaches that believed in her.
Rigual committed to the University of Delaware her junior year of high school and was able to finish out by playing her senior season. In the spring, she decided to play in one more club tournament for practice and to see her future college coaches. It was there, eight months after being cleared from the first, that she tore her other ACL.
For the second time in a year, her playing career had come to a halt. Besides the grueling regime of surgery and rehabilitation, Rigual was left with a fresh cut on the emotional and mental scars that were just beginning to heal.
“I lost a lot of hope in my future field hockey career, and it felt very unfair. Losing almost eighteen months of field hockey made me feel very behind everyone else. It felt as if everyone around me was busy getting better, while I just wanted to pick up my stick.”
For the next eight months, Rigual worked hard to walk, then run, then jump, and eventually, play field hockey. She was willing to do whatever it took to be ready for her freshman season at Delaware. Although it wasn’t an ideal situation, she made the most of it—getting cleared after the first two regular season games of the fall. She played her first season with minimal minutes, yearning to reach her full potential but grateful to be back on the field.
Despite the setbacks, Rigual finally settled in, achieving her goal of success at the collegiate level. At the end of her sophomore year, she was named to the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) All Tournament team and secured a starting position in the NCAA tournament. By the 2025 fall season, she was a staple on Delaware’s midfield line, starting in all 18 matches, being named to the All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Team, and helping the Blue Hens to the inaugural MPSF title.
"I had three great seasons at the University of Delaware, with so many amazing teammates, coaches, and support staff. As a junior, I was feeling very confident in my role as a starter and a captain.”
But there was still more to come for Rigual. Growing up, she participated in many of USA Field Hockey’s events, including the Nexus (then Futures) program. Like countless in the pipeline, she had dreams of one day representing on the international stage.
“I always had the dream of being able to represent my country as a young girl. However, after all my time off, I felt like my opportunity for USA Field Hockey had passed and it was too late for me. I decided to focus on my collegiate career instead and be happy with the fact that my knees would let me play at all.”
After spending so much time focusing on just being able to play in college and being the healthiest version of herself, it felt sudden for Rigual when she was met with the opportunity to try out for the U-21 USWNT. All her hard work and perseverance was paying off. Following a training camp in Charlotte, N.C. in December 2025, she was invited to attend the second Junior National Camp in January of 2026.
In February of this year, following that three-day training camp in Charlotte, N.C., Rigual was named to the 2026 U-21 USWNT. The next triumph came a month later, when she was selected to the 2026 Junior Pan American Cup roster, and she was the oldest one named to the 18-athlete roster.
“It was an indescribable feeling being able to put on the USA jersey and sing the national anthem with my new teammates.”
The event took place April 6 to 18 in Santiago, Chile, and the Junior Eagles finished out in second place after falling to Argentina, 3-1, in the gold medal match. Rigual scored her first international goal on April 10 in a 13-0 win over Mexico.
"Being the oldest one on the team, yet being the least experienced in international play, I had to learn a lot from my teammates and coaches. I had amazing teammates who were unafraid to uphold our standards and constantly push the tempo. While creating an inviting and friendly environment. The speed of international play is something that I had never experienced and has taught me a lot about selfless teamwork.”
Rigual will return to Delaware with that new experience, playing her senior season this fall. Overall, she says this experience has taught her to bet on herself.
“It is never too late to chase your dreams and do things that you never thought possible. Just because my journey might look a little different from others doesn’t make it bad or less than. Everyone puts in the extra work and works hard, finding what makes you different from everyone else is what will separate you.”
