Moyer Retires from U.S. Women’s National Team

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Following a tremendous career, U.S. Women’s National Team athlete Lauren Moyer (York, Pa.) has officially announced her retirement from the team. The 27-year-old competed in 101 international matches for Team USA.

A York, Pa. native, Moyer started playing field hockey in middle school after her parents signed her up to stay active between soccer seasons. She went on to play at Central York High School where she served as a captain her senior year. A four-year starter, she led the team in goals, assists and defensive saves as a senior. She was named a York Daily Record/Sunday News Division 1 All-Star and to the YAIAA All-League/County AAA First Team in her junior and senior years.

In her sophomore year of high school, Moyer started playing club and first joined East Coast Field Hockey in 2011. She finished playing club for Nook Hockey in 2012-13, which she called a full circle moment getting the opportunity to train and be based with the USWNT at the same location, Spooky Nook Sports, in Lancaster, Pa.

Following high school, Moyer went on to play collegiately at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2013-16) where she helped guide the Tar Heels to four consecutive NCAA Final Four appearances. In her senior year, she accumulated many honors including All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) First Team, All-ACC Tournament Team, NCAA Division I All-Tournament Team, Longstreth/NFHCA All-South Region First Team and Longstreth/NFHCA All-American Third Team. She played 93 career games for North Carolina, starting 65, and recorded 33 goals and six assists.

In 2011, she got involved in the then named USA Field Hockey’s Olympic Development Pathway program, Futures, and that year and every year since she aged out, was selected for the National Futures Championship or Futures Elite Championship. In 2012, she was named to the U.S. U-19 Women’s National Team, and two years later started a journey with the U-21 USWNT. In 2016, she was part of the squad that earned silver at the Junior Pan American Championship in Trinidad and Tobago and went on to qualify for the FIH Women’s Hockey Junior World Cup (8th) in Chile.

In January 2017, Moyer was named to the senior USWNT and on May 24 recorded her first international cap in a series against Ireland in Lancaster, Pa. In the years following, she participated in multiple test series and international tournaments along with world championship experiences. In 2017, Moyer was part of the team that stunned the world hockey scene at the FIH Hockey World League Semifinals in South Africa when they upended two higher ranked teams in shootouts to earn gold. That same group clinched bronze at the Pan American Cup in Lancaster, Pa. a few weeks later. Also in that year she played in the last edition of the FIH Hockey World League Final. The next year she competed in the Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup and in 2019 was part of the first three seasons of the worldwide league, the FIH Hockey Pro League. In August 2019, she helped USA to a third-place finish at the Pan American Games in Peru and was part of the squad that performed an impressive comeback at the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier against India, but the effort ultimately fell short.

In the fall 2020, Moyer joined the staff at her alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as the volunteer assistant coach.

Moyer retires from Team USA having competed in 101 international matches. During her six years, she recorded 13 goals and was a key contributor in the midfield and on the forward line for USA.

“Being a U.S. Women’s National Team athlete has been a once in a lifetime opportunity,” commented Moyer. “Athletic careers aren’t forever, and I feel fortunate to have competed on the international stage for as long as I have. Team USA is an incredible community to be a part of and something that I will always cherish.”

Moyer notes that her first tour on the senior squad to South Africa was one of the highlights of her career that she will remember.

“It was a month-long tour filled with a ton of learning as a team and especially for me as an individual and really kick started the rest of my career.”

She also notes that the 2018 Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup, 2019 Pan American Games and 2019 FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier as special milestones. “Despite some of the outcomes of those tournaments and events, I will always look back fondly on those special experiences with those teammates and members of staff.”

Moyer has a long list of individuals she would like to thank, who have impacted her through the years as an athlete, person and teammate. “I would first like to thank my family for their unwavering support throughout my field hockey career. With so much change during my international career, they have been a constant. Their guidance, encouragement and love has made it possible to experience so many incredible moments.”

“I also want to thank the coaches and teammates along the way that made field hockey so incredibly special, both collegiately and internationally. Karen Shelton and Janneke Schopman specifically played critical roles in my development, not only as a player but more importantly as a person. I am so lucky to have been coached and mentored by two of the most outstanding female role models.”

USA Field Hockey would like to send best wishes to Lauren in her future endeavors.