LESS than 24 hours after being confirmed as a key returnee to the senior national women’s hockey team fold, former team captain Alanna Lewis has been forced to withdraw from the team ahead of the Pan American Hockey Cup in Santiago, Chile from January 19 – 30, a qualifier to the FIH World Cup.
The 2022 Women's FIH Hockey World Cup will be the 15th edition of the Women's FIH Hockey World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for women's national field hockey teams organized by the International Hockey Federation and will be held in Terrassa, Spain and Amstelveen, the Netherlands from July 1 to 17, 2022.
On Monday, Lewis, 33, who was last included in the senior team as captain at the 2017 Pan American Indoor Cup in Georgetown, Guyana - where she led the ‘Calypso Stickwomen” to a fifth-place finish - was among eight changes to the team which qualified as runners-up from the Pan American Women’s Challenge held last August in Peru to compete in Chile.
However, Speaking to Guardian Media Sports on Monday evening, the team coach, Anthony “Bumper” Marcano said that he was forced into making two late changes to his 18-player team with Lewis, a past T&T Hockey Board "Sportswoman of the Year" awardee along with fellow experienced campaigner, Savannah De Freitas, one of team’s three co-captains, having to be replaced due to family and work commitments respectively.
Marcano said, “Even with the final team being announced we are still having issues with players availability due to work or family commitments.
“We now know that Alana Lewis and Savannah De Freitas will not be able to travel with the team as family and work commitments respectively have arisen.
The coach made it clear that the players could not be at fault as he pointed out, “The effects of Covid-19 is not only on players staying healthy but also on persons securing their jobs and taking care of their families during this pandemic.
With Lewis and De Freitas having to step away from the team, they will be replaced by the two travelling reserves in Naomi Sampson, who was part of the team at last year’s qualifying competition, and Shania Gajadhar, who was a late withdrawal back then due to personal matters.
The seven other players who were not part of the team last August but included in the squad for Chile includes USA-based player/coach Tamia Roach, Long Island University quartet, Felicia King and Olton sisters Sarah Olton, Kaitlyn Olton and Samantha Olton, and Australia-based Kimberly Young (co-captain) while goalkeeper Talia Seale gets her first senior team call-up
With regards to the players coming into the squad, Marcano did see it as being beneficial to his team.
He said, “The return of the four athletes from LIU will definitely strengthen the team's composition and having Kimberly Young playing in Australia joining will also add value.
Among the members of the team who ended in the second spot in the qualifiers in Peru, last August who managed to keep hold of their places are co-captain Avion Ashton, goalkeeper Arresia Sandy, Shaniah De Freitas, Gabrielle Thompson, Mia Olton, Anya Sealy, Amanda George, Brittney Hingh and Zene Henry.
Those failing to retain their picks are stand-out performers in the qualifiers Brianna Govia, Daniella Martin, Tahirah Wynne, Saarah Sampson, Nicole Whiteman, Teresa Lezama, and Amie Olton.
The vastly experienced Lezama has since retired as a player and will serve as assistant manager/videographer for the team while both Olton (A) and Govia are unavailable.
The “Calypso Stickwomen” will compete in Pool A of the eight-team round-robin competition against the South American trio of three-time winners Argentina, host Chile while Canada, Mexico, USA, and Peru comprise Pool B.
The Argentines are five-time Pan American Cup winners and the lone team to have ever won gold in the competition, while the USA has ended second in each edition except 2017 when they took bronze, and Chile, silver.
The T&T women who have resumed training have appeared at the Pan American Cup three times previously;
The first was in 2004 in Barbados when they ended eighth, and then in 2009 when they placed fourth in Bermuda, and four years later when they ended seventh in Argentina.
Looking at the draw Marcano admitted his team will face a tough task.
“The tournament is of a high level for the Pan-American region with teams ranked within the “Top 20” in the world participating,” said Marcano.
“We are currently ranked 48th in the world, and will have an uphill battle ahead of us, however, the athlete's are always determined to play their best and work hard while representing the red, white and black,” ended Marcano.
T&T women open their campaign against the host on January 19 from 7.30 pm followed by matches against Uruguay on January 21 versus Mexico from 5,15 pm, and Argentina, two days later also from 5.15 pm to close out round-robin play.
The top team at the end of round-robin play from each pool will advance directly to the main draw semifinals on January 27 while the second and third-placed teams in each pool meet in cross-over quarterfinals to determine the two remaining semifinal qualifiers.
Both finalists and the third-place finishers in the Pan American competition which ends on January 29 will earn places at the16-team FIH World Cup.
T&T women’s hockey team: Shania De Freitas, Avion Ashton (co-captain), Amanda George, Anya Sealy, Tamia Roach, Saarah Olton, Samantha Olton, Kaitlyn Olton, Felicia King, Kimberly Young (co-captain), Gabrielle Thompson, Zene Henry, Brittney Hingh, Mia Otero, Arresia Sandy (goalkeeper), Talia Seale (goalkeeper), Naomi Sampson, Shania Gajadhar.
Travelling Reserves: Nicole Whiteman, Sarah Sampson (goalkeeper).
Technical staff: Anthony Marcano (head coach), Ellis Chance (assistant coach), Jennifer Lander (manager), Teresa Lezama (assistant manager/videographer), Dennora George (masseuse), Kevin Mc Intyre (physiotherapist).