Bhubaneswar: USA’s women’s team on Friday arrived in India to take part in the FIH Olympic qualifiers.
The team would be taking on India in the qualifying match at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
Skipper Kathleen Sharkey expressed excitement to play a major event in India, which has a history of excellence in hockey.
“It is exciting to be in India. None of us have been here before but we know India has a great history in hockey and people here are very passionate about the sport with a lot of fans coming to watch the matches live. We saw the spectacular Men’s World Cup hosted here in Bhubaneswar. We are looking forward to playing here and take home the experience of playing in one of the world’s most famous city for hockey,” Sharkey said in an official statement.
The Indian Women’s Team last played against the USA during the 2018 Women’s World Cup in London and in the match, India managed to hold the USA to a 1-1 draw.
“Our goal is obviously to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. We want to put forth our best in those two games and make sure we play to our potential against India,” Sharkey said.
“We are well-prepared for the Indian team. They have progressed well over the past year and so have we. We have been following India matches lately.
We are expecting close matches and our team is very excited to be here,” USA’s head coach Janneke Schopman said.
The USA will take on India on November 1 and 2 at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar.