T&T will look to put aside its inconsistent Group B round-robin play and get a win when it faces Chile in the third quarterfinal of the Junior (Under-21) Women's Pan American Championship hosted by the T&T Hockey Board at the National Hockey Centre, Tacarigua, today from 1.45 pm.
The "Calypso Stickwomen" ended group play with a 1-2 record and third in Pool B with three points to trail USA which ended with maximum nine points, and runner-up Canada which got six.
This after the T&T squad coached by Brian Garcia and featuring no fewer than seven players with senior team experience was beaten by USA (10-0) and Canada (4-0) while it blanked Mexico 4-0.
The Chileans, meanwhile, trounced Barbados 7-0 and edged Uruguay 2-1 after losing 10-0 to pre-tournament favourites and six-time champions Argentina, 10-0.
However, with the round-robin phase now out of the way, T&T and Chile, will enter today's encounter, knowing a defeat will end their hopes of qualification to Junior FIH World Cup to be hosted by the South Americans later this year in Santiago.
First in action today from 9.15 am will be the free-scoring Argentines who with their 30 goals tally without conceding are favoured to get past winless Mexico, which has let in 17 goals without finding their opponents' net.
Canada with its 9-5 goals ratio will also have a slight edge when it comes up against Pool A, third placed Uruguay at 11.30 am.In the day's final match, USA, with a 24-1 goals ratio is also fancied to get past winless Barbados, which scored two times while allowing 33 goals.
Following today's matches, the tournament will have another rest day tomorrow before it resumes on Thursday with main draw and losers draw semifinals, ahead of Saturday's final day of playoffs for a place in the final and a spot at the World Cup in Chile, from November 26 to December 4.
fixtures:
Today's quarterfinal matches:
Argentina vs Mexico, 9.15 am
Canada vs Uruguay, 11.30 am
Chile vs T&T, 1.45 pm
USA vs Barbados, 4 pm
Thursday :
Main Draw & Losers Draw semifinals
Saturday :
Final playoffs