With the win, the USA improved to 2-0 at the tournament and earned a spot in Saturday’s semifinals by virtue of the Netherlands Antilles’ 1-0 victory over Canada. The USA can secure Pool B’s top seed in the semifinals with a victory or draw against Canada in the team’s final game of pool play on Thursday.

The USA got off to a fast start against Cuba (1-1) as Loy and Keli Smith (Selinsgrove, Pa.) connected on back-to-back goals in the first five minutes of the game. Smith scored her second goal of the tournament after knocking in a penalty corner goal in the third minute and Loy quickly followed with a field goal two minutes later.

“We started off really well in the beginning getting corner after corner,” said Loy. “Then we just kept piecing it together down the field and following the game plan and it just worked out in the end. We were in the right spots at the right time.”

The USA continued its domination in the first half as Kayla Bashore (Shoemakersville, Pa.) and Doton scored goals off penalty corners to build a 4-0 halftime lead while the USA defense never allowed Cuba to exhibit the form that led to an upset win over Canada in the team’s opening game.

“We know that the Cubans can run on a lot of emotion when they play and they showed against Canada that they are a very good hockey team as well,” said USA Coach Lee Bodimeade. “We wanted to come out and play very well at the start and try to take some of that emotion away from them and at the same time put ourselves in a winning position early on.”

Loy connected on her second goal of the game early in the second half when she redirected a hard pass that lofted high into the air and landed softly into the cage. The USA then concluded the scoring as Doton scored her second penalty corner goal in the 53rd minute and Tiffany Snow (Escondido, Calif.) added a penalty corner goal in the game’s final minute.

The USA concludes pool play Thursday against Canada (0-2) before heading into the semifinals on Saturday.

“Overall, I’m very happy with our performance,” said Bodimeade. “This had the potential to be a very dangerous game for us. To get the win is a big plus.”

USA 7, Cuba 0
USA: Keli Smith (PC, 3:00)
USA: Angie Loy (FG, 5:00)
USA: Kayla Bashore (PC, 13:00)
USA: Kelly Doton (PC, 23:00)
USA: Angie Loy (FG, 46:00)
USA: Kelly Doton (PC, 53:00)
USA: Tiffany Snow (PC, 69:00)

USA Starters: Angie Loy (Loysville, Pa.) , Kelly Doton (Greenfield, Mass.), Rachel Dawson (Berlin, N.J.), Tiffany Snow (Escondido, Calif.), Kelli Smith (Selinsgrove, Pa.) , Carrie Lingo (Rehoboth Beach, Del.), Kate Barber (West Chester, Pa.), Amy Tran (Grantville, Pa.), Kayla Bashore Shoemakersville, Pa.), Lauren Crandall (Doyelstown, Pa.), Lauren Powley (Mountaintop, Pa.)
Reserves: Melissa Leonetti (Erdenheim, Pa.), Sarah Dawson (Berlin, N.J.), Dana Sensenig (Shoemakersville, Pa.), Michelle Kasold (Chapel Hill, N.C.), Katelyn Falgowski (Landenberg, Pa.)

Head Coach: Lee Bodimeade
Sun Safe Play!: USA Field Hockey and the USA National Team promote healthy and sun-smart decisions in Rio and at home through their sun safety program, Sun Safe Play. Dedicated to the memory of former field hockey coach and USA team member Maria Whitehead and in partnership with the Melanoma International Foundation, Sun Safe Play seeks to educate young athletes on the prevention and detection of melanoma and skin cancer. Whitehead died of cancer in November 2006 at the age of 25.

http://www.usfieldhockey.com/