CAPE TOWN, South Africa - The second and third days of the 2022 World Masters Hockey (WMH) World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa, have come to a close and eight USA matches took place across the two days.

Sunday, October 2, 2022

O-50 Men 0 - 1 Malaysia

In their second match of the event, the U.S. O-50 Men's Masters Team couldn't overcome a penalty corner goal as they fell Malaysia.

Both teams played well early in the first quarter – however the USA conceded two early penalty corners, with Malaysia converting the second one in the 26th minute.

USA goalkeeper Michael Caddy (Drake, Colo.) kept the red, white and blue in the match with some terrific work in the net to keep the score at 1-0. Malaysia's midfield and forwards continued to apply pressure on USA's defense, which limited the the time of possession and ability to create effective counter attacks.

Midfielder Sau Thong Lee (Saint Johns, Fla.) played another strong game and was backed up with solid defense by Rino Bouwman (Ventura, Calif.). USA had some chances late but were unable to connect with the strikers in the circle.

O-55 Men Spirit of Masters 0 - 10 England

The U.S. O-55 Men's Spirit of Masters Team had a tough defeat at the hands of England. Their opponents opened the scoring in the 5th minute and never looked back as they converted on eight field goals and two penalty corners.

The O-55 Men Spirit of Masters face South Africa tomorrow at 4:15 a.m. ET.

O-50 Women 0 - 0 Chile

In their first game of the WMH World Cup, the match remained scoreless as both teams exhibited a strong defense. With few shots on goal and only two penalty corners by USA and three from Chile, the goalkeepers were not challenged often but displayed some excellent skills in preventing a goal by either team. Lori Miller (Newsmantown, Pa.), who shared the goal keeping duties with Jen Anderson (Owings Mills, Md.), had a spectacular glove save off a high Chile shot in the final quarter to keep the game scoreless. It was a nail biter from the first whistle until the final horn.

O-55 Women 0 - 3 Ireland

The U.S. O-55 Women’s Masters Team opened their WMH World Cup tournament against Ireland. Both teams engaged in solid midfield play and traded possession in the midfield. In the first quarter, Ireland netted their first goal of the game after carrying the ball along the baseline to score off a rebound. USA earned a penalty corner but was unable to convert to a goal. The first half ended with Ireland in the lead 1-0.

As play continued in the third quarter, USA's defense stopped multiple attempts by Ireland to advance into the circle. Late in the third quarter Ireland scored their second goal to gain a two-goal advantage over USA. Despite solid defense from USA's midfield and defense, Ireland scored a third goal in the fourth quarter.

Team USA midfielders Kathy Frick (Doylestown, Pa.), Allison Smith (Highlands Park, Ill.) and Carol Gulija (Flemington, N.J.) and backs Christine Couteau (San Jose, Calif.) and Nori Smith (Suwanee, Ga.) had strong performances throughout the game to generate possession and stop Ireland counter attacks.

Monday, October 3, 2022

O-45 Men 2 - 4 Zimbabwe

The U.S. O-45 Men's Masters Team fought hard against a responsive Zimbabwe team.

It took until the 28th minute when Zimbabwe got on the board, through a penalty stroke goal by Torch Carisle. They doubled their lead 37th minute off a field goal from Simon Scott-Elliott. USA cut the margin two minutes following off a penalty corner goal from TJ Bamrah (Santa Clara, Calif.).

Static for a period, Zimbabwe made it 3-1 in the 46th and then 4-1 in the 53rd minute, both field goals coming from Neil Evans. USA didn't let us and continued to pressure and Edward de Vries (Boston, Mass.) made it 42 off a field goal in the 69th minute.

The O-45 Men return to action tomorrow when they take on England at 5:45 a.m. ET.

O-50 Men 0 - 2 Wales

A battle in Pool B, the U.S. O-50 Men's Masters Team dropped a tight contest to Wales.

Despite good play in the first half, Wales was able to score on a turnover that lead to a field goal in the 21st minute. A valiant effort by USA goalkeeper Michael Caddy (Drake, Colo.) wasn’t enough and Wales was able to take a 1-0 lead.

Continued good play by the team in the second half, lead to a back and forth match. Both teams getting opportunities by neither being able to convert. Late in the fourth quarter, Wales scored again on another field goal to take a 2-0 lead.

The defense continues to play well through the tournament – with another solid outing by Rino Bouwman (Ventura, Calif.) and Raj Goraya (Kent, Wash.). The forward line continues to improve with Angus Miller (Bedminster, N.J.) and Stanley Jones forcing Wales' defense to keep on their toes.

The O-50 Men don't return to the pitch until Thursday, October 6 to take on Germany at 4:15 a.m. ET.

O-55 Men 0 - 4 England

It was a cool and sunny afternoon at the start of the U.S. O-55 Men's Masters Team match against England played on the beautiful campus of the University of Cape Town. It was a hard-fought game between both teams with the USA maintaining their composure throughout.

Prior to the start, Coaches Claus Buehs and Christoph Weber expressed to the team the importance of maintaining control of the game, each athlete playing their position and assisting in defense situations. USA played beyond expectations. In the first quarter, a brilliant stick save was made by USA goalkeeper Pradeep Menon (Cummings, Ga.) after a solid direct shot was taken England. The skillful opposition, after winning two prior games, were motivated to continue with their winning streak and scored two goals in the second quarter and two in the third frame. USA's only penalty corner opportunity was unsuccessful. Credit goes to both goalkeepers for their performance and keeping the score low. After the match, the coaches expressed how proud they were of the team in following the game plan.

The O-55 Men are back in action on Wednesday, October 5 against Wales at 4:00 a.m. ET.

O-55 Women 0 - 0 Argentina

The U.S. O-55 Women's Masters Team and Argentina took the field today in one of the most exciting games of the tournament so far. Unfortunately, the game ended in a 0-0 tie.

USA started strong in the first period, displaying precision stick work and transfer skills against a very aggressive Argentina side. An offensive drive into the circle and a reverse stick shot by Frick nearly put USA ahead - except for the save by the crossbar. Argentina had multiple chances to score in the first half, although failing to convert on multiple corner attempts.

The second half saw more attacking play by Argentina, but outstanding goalkeeping by Maria Keesling (Downingtown, Pa.) and the entire USA defensive team kept them off the board. The tenor of the second half was reflected in the awarding of several cards by the officials, with two yellow cards given to Argentina and one green given to USA. Gulija and Smith both had exceptional games with their display of skill, work output, and effectiveness.

The O-55 Women will resume play tomorrow at 2:15 a.m. ET against Scotland.

DATE	TIME	TEAM		TEAM	STREAM
Tues., Oct. 4	2:15 AM	O-55W	vs	Scotland	Livestream
	4:15 AM	O-55M	vs	South Africa	Livestream
	5:45 AM	O-45M	vs	England	Livestream
	5:45 AM	O-65W	vs	England
	7:45 AM	O-60W	vs	England	Livestream
	9:30 AM	O-50W	vs	Scotland	Livestream
Wed., Oct. 5	2:15 AM	O-55M	vs	All	Livestream
	4:00 AM	O-55M	vs	Wales
	7:45 AM	O-45M	vs	South Africa
	11:00 AM	O-60W	vs	LX SoM
Thurs., Oct. 6	4:00 AM	O-50W	vs	Germany	Livestream
	4:15 AM	O-50M	vs	Germany
	4:15 AM	O-65W	vs	All SoM
	6:00 AM	O-55M	vs	Argentina
	9:15 AM	O-55W	vs	Chile	Livestream
	9:30 AM	O-60W	vs	South Africa
Fri., Oct. 7	7:45 AM	O-50M	vs	South Africa SoM	Livestream
	9:15 AM	O-45M	vs	Malaysia	Livestream
	11:15 AM	O-55W	vs	South Africa	Livestream
Sat., Oct. 8	2:00 AM	O-65W	vs	England LX	Livestream

All times in Eastern Time Zone

Second & Third Day 2022 WMH World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa Recaps

IMAGES COURTESY OF SOUTH AFRICAN MASTERS HOCKEY

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