USA Womenâs National Indoor Team- 4 Nations Tournament
USA Indoor Team: SPAR 4 Nations Tournament in Durban, South Africa: A Recap by Goalkeeper Anna Zarkoski
Our travel went really well; we were traveling for about 22 hours. When we arrived the gps died
and we had to have a police escort because our bed and breakfast was hidden. The area was very pretty, with cliffs and lots of greenery. The plants were amazing; so pretty and so many of them. We arrived and it was a small bed and breakfast, very simple, with a pool and a pool house with a straw roof. The backyard was covered in trees and plants.
Day 2
We trained in the morning at a girlâs high school sports facility, it had a multipurpose court and a turf field. The indoor courts were all multipurpose with multiple airways. Unfortunately, they rarely use air conditioning which, when coupled with the South African heat, made the conditions immensely hotter especially since it was winter back home and most everyone was from the Northeast. We practiced and it took everyone a while to adjust to the court; it was much stickier than American courts. In between training and our game, we laid outside by the pool- some of the girls got sunburned because the African sun was so strong! We then played a provincial team (like a state team) that had two girls who had played on the South African national team. They were strong but we won 4-1 which was great considering it was definitely not our best game or our fastest. The surface affected our playing style and we were much slower than our opponents.
We trained in the morning at the Westville Boysâ School, this court was very slippery, but the ball moved a little slower. Training was fast paced, helping to get us ready to play again in the afternoon. In between we hung out by the pool and relaxed again. The big surprise for us was when we saw eight monkeys hanging out in our backyard! There were babies cuddling with their mothers and feeding, and others were playing in the trees, looking for fruit. In the afternoon we played the provincial team at the complex where we would be playing the actual tournament. The facility is at a University, and very cool. Sports here are a huge deal; everyone plays or is involved in some aspect. We actually arrived during the u13 boysâ national tournament. The intensity in such young children was inspiring. The second match against the provincial team proved better than the initial game. This court worked to our advantage, we won 12-2.
A light practice session at the Westville boys school, consisting mostly of corners, pressing, and outletting. It was good to work through some kinks and learn new strategies. In between we went to the beach. It was awesome because it was a market that only opened on Sunday. We were able to get lunch along the Promenade. I tried a chicken bunny, which I was told was grilled chicken in a pita, but it was actually curried chicken with potatoes in a bread bowl- a delicious surprise. At 4pm we played Namibia at Westville. This was our first match against a national team. We played well as a team and found our rhythm. We started to flow and were able to increase our speed.
Instead of having training in the morning, we played our last test match against Australia at the Danville girlsâ school complex. This amazing complex boasted two grass hockey fields, an amazing turf hockey field, a pool, and an indoor multipurpose court. We started strong taking a 2-0 lead at half. They responded with a goal off of a stroke, but we countered with a fantastic spin off the left board to beat the goalie. Australia was able to score two more goals but we finished on a penalty corner goal from the top of the circle. To beat Australia in a test match was a major confidence booster; but we still needed to increase our overall speed during the tournament. Australia had visible spells of crisp play, that was fun to watch. They also pressed in a formation unlike any we had seen thus far â a full V. This formation proved tougher to read on the outlet, but we succeeded.
After the match we had some down time at the bed and breakfast, caught a quick nap and some lunch before we headed out on an excursion. The team piled into a van, and went into the countryside. It was absolutely breathtaking - so green with long rolling fields and cliffs. Trees of all different kinds covered the landscape, so many trees of all different kinds, and lots of crops. I couldnât tell what they were but they resembled tall grass. The land was all owned by different farms.
About an hour later we arrived to our zip lining tour! Surprisingly, none of the girls were scared. After we got strapped into our harnesses and watched the safety video, we were off. It was a series of a five lines; one had a running start (my personal favorite), and the last one was a parachute zip line. To get to the parachute zip line we had to climb up a very steep cliff. The view from the top of the biplane was incredible. We could see over all the trees and I can honestly say I had never seen a more spectacular sight. It also rained ending a four-year drought, which almost made the experience even more exciting.
An early breakfast of standard granola and yogurt with fruit: papaya, pineapple, melon and cantaloupe. Heartier options included scrambled eggs, toast, mushrooms, sausage and bacon. They had a variety of juices that were strange to us but they were yummy. The coffee was strong which I personally loved! We had a late training time at 11am. Setup more like a heavier walk through, we reviewed some technical pieces and strategy. For lunch we headed down to Café Java -a delicious open airy café crafting great sandwiches. I had a chicken avocado wrap with a sweet chili sauce and a wonderful fruit salad.
Our first game was against South Africa, the host country, at 8pm. When we arrived, Australia was about to start playing Namibia. It was unlike anything I had ever seenâ the whole arena (about the size of a college basketball stadium) was filled with people. They were all so excited - dancing during the warmup and loud! In America indoor matches never receive this level of attention unless itâs NITs. Australia won 2-1. We then took the court against South Africa. We ran out and were all introduced, and then the game began. We went down 4-1 very early, then began our comeback. We started playing man-to-man and ended up gaining a lot of momentum in the second half. We managed to close the lead to 4-3. We had a penalty corner called for us with less than a minute left but the officials overturned the call. It was a climactic game and I think the South Africans were shocked with our performance. For our team many of the girls earned their first international cap so hopefully all of the nerves subsided.
Our training session was at 9:30 in the morning, and afterwards the South African coaches came to pick us all up and took us to the beach. We went to a cafe along the beach called Circus Circus. It was fun
- the perfect place to have a fruit smoothie and wrap. They are a big fan of their sauces here- I had a vegetarian wrap with butternut squash, feta, hummus, and a coriander and sweet sauce. Afterwards we dipped our feet in the Indian ocean (another first!) and then shopped at a little market along the beach. They have a lot of wooden figurines and paintings to choose from. It took us a long time to get home from the beach because there was a huge soccer game going on at a previous World Cup stadium. The traffic was literally gridlocked - it seemed that traffic laws were take more as suggestions than anything else. They crammed so many people into cars and no one cares.
That evening we played Namibia; we beat them 6-0 in our test match but three of their best players were not playing. We lost 3-2. I do not believe that we played our best hockey. Everyoneâs legs seemed tired and poor decisions were made. Â I was the goalkeeper and the first goal scored on me was by my own defender. The second goal was tipped directly in front of me and then finished on the post. The last goal was a beautiful shot to the left corner as a result of a corner. We scored two goals, one from a fabulous flick on a penalty corner by Katie Gerzabeck, and the other off a lucky shot from the corner of the circle. Disappointingly enough this put us in the 3v4 final game regardless of our next gameâs outcome. Despite this revelation, this was indoor tournament was a first for most of us providing great experience and teaching everyone more about indoor field hockey. Personally, even though I played indoor for five years in middle school and high school, after being here and seeing how far the sport had progressed in South Africa I have realized how much I need to learn. Itâs both exciting and overwhelming.
Tournament Recap:
1. USA v. South Africa- Â L 4-3
2. USA v. Namibia      L 3-2
3. USA v. Australia      T 3-3
4. USA v. Australia      L 3-1
** Host nation South Africa trumped Namibia 6-0 in the title match.
** USAâs Katie Gerzabek received the Top Goal Scorer Award
