Both Junior Men and Junior Women heading to the Junior World Cup
It was a celebratory weekend in Barbados for the Junior National Teams and their families. The Women punched their ticket to the Junior World Cup last Friday afternoon by placing second in their pool at the Junior Pan American Championships. The Men backed it up on Saturday by winning in a shootout over Chile and securing their place in the upcoming Junior World Cup.
The junior men went on to finish second, losing in the finals to Argentina, but coming away with a well-earned silver medal. The women’s team fell to Argentina in the semifinals and dropped the bronze medal game to Chile.
A HISTORIC QUALIFICATION
The 2021 and 2023 Junior Pan American Championships marks the first time that both Canadian teams have qualified for back-to-back Junior World Cups. The Men will travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the Women will play in Santiago, Chile. Both tournaments will take place at the beginning of December, 2023.
With the top finishes, both teams qualify for the Junior World Cup
WORLD CLASS GOALKEEPING
Canada has a rich history of developing and producing top level goalkeepers. This year, both Canadian keepers were recognized as the top GKs of the tournament.
Kayla Desormeau, the Waterloo native who plays in the NCAA for Mercyhurst College stood tall in the Canadian net and put on a marquee performance in the semifinals only allowing one goal against a tough Argentine side.
Armaan Bagri, from White Rock, BC is a member of India Field Hockey Club. He was a rock all tournament long. Canada only let in a total of one goal in the first four games combined. He had himself a day against Chile in the semifinals including stopping three all-important shootout chances in that match and helped Canada secure their world cup berth.
Kayla Desormeau and Armaan Bagri named GKs of the tournament.
STAFF AND PATHWAY
Field Hockey Canada has put considerable effort into refining and aligning the NextGen pathway. Head coaches Jenn Beagan and Geoff Matthews are big parts of that process. Beagan wears many hats including NextGen Director. With her guidance and the work of the incredible staff at this event, the athletes were well supported and were able to perform at their best. This continued success at the junior level speaks to the work of the staff in the pipeline and will no doubt produce top level senior athletes moving forward as well.
| JUNIOR WOMEN STAFF | JUNIOR MEN STAFF |
|---|---|
| Jenn Beagan | Geoff Matthews |
| Laura Dowling | Richard Hildreth |
| Dave Cox | John de Souza |
| Nicky Graham | CJ Roydhouse |
| Justine Branco | Sanghera |
| Kate Perry |
Canadian staff leading the way for an incredible Team Canada delegation at JPAC 2023.
CANADIAN OFFICIALS
Congratulations to Meghan McLennan (umpire), Pambavasan Manikandan (umpire), Laurie Hogan (technical official) on their Pan American appointments. Both McLennan and Hogan were assigned to the final match. It’s great to see Canadian officials excelling on the international stage.
COMING UP NEXT
Both teams will engage in training, evaluation and identification prior to the Junior World Cups in December. Expect more information coming soon about upcoming camps and identification periods. Thanks for following #JPAC2023
