University of Massachusets Athletics
Widdall Wins Gold At Pan Am Junior Championship
October 12, 2008 | Field Hockey
Oct. 12, 2008
AMHERST, Mass. - While her UMass teammates were defeating Saint Louis, 5-0, on Sunday, Alesha Widdall was winning gold as the United States Under-21 National Team defeated Chile, 2-1, in overtime to win the Junior Pan Am Tournament in Mexico City. The freshman goalkeeper got the victory in net in the gold medal match. Junior forward Cher King played in the tournament as well, representing Barbados.
By going 4-0-1 and winning the Pan Am Junior Championship, the U.S. team qualifies for the Junior World Cup which will be held in Boston in the summer of 2009. Widdall and the Americans will be looking for their first championship in the event held every four years and started in 1989.
Widdall played two games for the U.S. team, going 2-0 and allowing only one goal. Besides the 2-1 victory in the gold medal game, she posted a shutout in a 21-0 win over Bermuda in the U.S.'s first match.
King served as captain of the Barbadian team that went 1-4 and took seventh place with a 4-0 win over Bermuda on Sunday. She scored two of her team's five total goals in the tournament, including what proved to be the game-winner on Sunday.
King and Widdall weren't the only Minutewomen represented at the tournament. Former UMass goalie Zowie Tucker was an assistant coach for the U.S. team. Now the associate head coach at Northeastern, she had a standout career at UMass, earning All-Conference honors three times and was named second team All-American as a senior.
After missing three games while in Mexico City, King and Widdall will rejoin their teammates this week as UMass (10-3, 2-0 A-10) travels for two conference road game next weekend at La Salle and West Chester.
