CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The official grand opening for the new field on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte is set! The No. 16 U.S. Women’s National Team will host No. 9 New Zealand in a two-game series on Saturday, December 9 and Sunday, December 10, with the second match being the official grand opening.
“We are delighted that New Zealand has committed to traveling such a long distance to Charlotte in December to provide the U.S. Women’s National Team an opportunity for some home matches,” said David Passmore, USWNT Head Coach. “These games form the basis for selection going into 2024 as we know we will have the FIH Hockey Pro League and possibly an Olympic Qualifier back-to-back, so it would have been impossible for us to travel between that time and the upcoming Pan American Games.”
The last time the United Eagles played the Black Sticks was in the 2022-23 FIH Hockey Pro League season in February. In the first contest, USA took the lead in the second quarter, but New Zealand tallied on a late penalty corner in the final minute of regulation to force a shootout. The United Eagles earned the extra point after finishing 2-0 following four rounds. The second meeting, USA entered the final quarter down 1-2 but the determined side saw a goal turned away as they ultimately fell 1-4. The score line didn’t reflect the closeness of this match as New Zealand also converted on an open net on their way to victory.
“New Zealand are always a great nation to play and they have a tough gritty style built on the proud sporting culture,” added Passmore. “Competing against them will provide us a time to focus as well as the opportunity for the USWNT to get better as we build toward 2024. We can’t wait to showcase Charlotte and our amazing new facility at the USPC on the UNC Charlotte campus.”
USWNT vs. New Zealand Schedule
Saturday, December 9 2:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, December 10 2:00 p.m. ET (*Grand Opening)
The USWNT vs. New Zealand matches will be played at the new field on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and mark the first official matches at the facility.
USWNT Roster
Kelsey Bing (Houston, Texas), Sanne Caarls (Niew-Vennep, Netherlands), Leah Crouse (Virginia Beach, Va.), Brooke DeBerdine (Millersville, Pa.), Emma DeBerdine (Millersville, Pa.), Amanda Golini (Randolph, N.J.), Linnea Gonzales (Bel Air, Md.), Fusine Govaert (Bedford, N.Y.), Danielle Grega (Kingston, Pa.), Ally Hammel (Duxbury, Mass.), Ashley Hoffman (Mohnton, Pa.), Karlie Kisha (Hamburg, Pa.), Natalie Konerth (Huntingtown, Md.), Kelee Lepage (Honey Brook, Pa.), Jenny Rizzo (Hershey, Pa.), Kealsie Robles (Seaford, Va.), Megan Rodgers (San Diego, Calif.), Ashley Sessa (Schwenksville, Pa.), Meredith Sholder (Fleetwood, Pa.), Cassie Sumfest (Lewisburg, Pa.), Abigail Tamer (Dexter, Mich.), Jillian Wolgemuth (Mount Joy, Pa.), Beth Yeager (Greenwich, Conn.), Maddie Zimmer (Hershey, Pa.)
More information regarding ticket sales, livestream and the grand opening will be made available soon.
For more information regarding the 2023 USWNT vs. New Zealand Series, visit the event page.
by NCAA
