On Nov. 22-23, the Georgia women’s field hockey team competed at the annual Challenge Cup hosted by the National Field Hockey League. 32 of some of the best club programs in the entire country came to compete for a spot in the Fall Championship or Challenge Cup brackets. Though Georgia faced adversity and tough matchups, a combination of teamwork and strong play helped the team to prevail.
The weekend began with a car ride of more than 400 miles on Friday to reach the tournament venue in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The team had little rest before Saturday’s pool play, where there were four games scheduled against the likes of Alabama, The College of New Jersey, Charlotte and Tennessee.
“We had to compete at the highest level even on the first day,” said junior co-captain Anna Kate Black, as the team was not guaranteed a spot in tournament play.
Their first pool play matchup against Alabama saw a tough Bulldogs loss despite their dominance over the Crimson Tide in the regular season. Now the team likely needed to win their next three matchups to have a shot at Day 2 qualification.
However, the team did not let this early adversity carry over into their later matchups. Black said the team “continued on and stayed true” to themselves.
The team strung together hard-fought wins to end Day 1 and qualify for Sunday’s Challenge Cup bracket as the fifth seed. Though the team originally wanted to qualify for the Fall Championship tournament, fairer matchups in this bracket allowed their talent to shine without competing against club teams such as Virginia with four male members, including one on the U.S. National Team, that dominate every year.
Sunday’s Challenge Cup tournament saw six teams placed in a single-elimination bracket. As the No. 5 seed, Georgia had to play an extra game compared to the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, which received a first-round bye.
The day began with a dominant 4-0 performance against No. 4 NC State, with the Bulldogs advancing to the semifinals. Next, the team continued their run with an upset of the No. 1 seed Pittsburgh — also with a 4-0 victory — to advance to the championship game. The team did not yet know its opponent, but chose to focus on recovery instead of scouting the semifinal matchup that would decide its competition.
“Watching somebody else’s play might impact what we know how to do best,” Black said. “[We] kept our strategy as a whole the same.”
After the other semifinal, the stage was set. The Bulldogs would face off against No. 2 UNC Wilmington, with the victor taking home the coveted Challenge Cup. There was one factor, however, that put the girls at a disadvantage: a male competitor on UNC Wilmington’s lineup who looked to be around 30 years old. As part of the official rules for club field hockey teams, teams are allowed to have some male athletes on their team. Georgia does not have men on its team, which made it be considered an underdog.
The women worked early in the game to shut down their opponent’s male midfielder, with sophomore forward Julia May scoring a goal early in the first half. With this advantage, the strategy was to control the game and stay focused. The bench kept the energy high throughout the game, according to Black, who said the bench was “whipping out some great football chants.”
Black then scored the second Georgia goal while playing through a broken finger. The Bulldogs ended the game 2-0 to win the Challenge Cup, doing so in their first-ever appearance.
Despite facing early adversity, Georgia made a statement in hoisting the Challenge Cup. The team did not allow a single goal in tournament play — all while being a self-coached team — a testament to the talent, preparation and chemistry the women put together in game after game.
The team hopes to compete next year and continue its streak of success. For now, the women will enjoy a well-earned rest as the fall season concludes with the team adding another accolade to its résumé.