The United States Women’s Hockey Team is gearing up for the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24, having recently secured a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics during the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers Ranchi 2024. The team arrived at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on Monday, with their sights set on earning a spot at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 through the upcoming Pro League.
Scheduled to be held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar from February 3 to February 9, followed by the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela from February 12 to February 18, the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 will see the participation of five national teams: India, China, the United States, the Netherlands, and Australia.
In the India leg of the Pro League, each team will face the others once in Bhubaneswar and once in Rourkela. The United States Women’s Hockey Team is set to kick off their campaign against the Netherlands on February 3, followed by matches against Australia on February 6, China on February 7, and India on February 9. Their previous encounter with the Indian Women’s Hockey Team resulted in a 1-0 victory during the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in Ranchi 2024.
Shedding light on the way forward for the team, Captain Amanda Gollini stated,” We are looking forward to getting back into it. Obviously, coming off the Olympic Qualifiers, we got the result that we wanted. Now we’ve set some new goals to prepare for the year ahead. The one thing we want to continue from the last tournament is taking it one game at a time; that helped us succeed and I think that’s something we are looking forward to repeating in the FIH Pro League.” “The Pro League is very important in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics; it presents us with a wonderful opportunity to prepare for the Olympics. But it is imperative that we trust the process, take it one game at a time, and not get ahead of ourselves,” she elaborated.
Having capitalized on early momentum, the United States secured their qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics with victories against Italy and New Zealand, ultimately finishing as the top team in Pool B. Despite a 2-1 victory against Japan in the semi-final, they faced a 0-2 defeat against Germany in the final. The upcoming FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 matches will be streamed on JioCinema, with India matches additionally telecast on Sports18 – Khel.
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.