VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The U-18 Girls division of the 2024 Junior Nexus Championship (NXC), presented by Osaka Hockey, concluded this Sunday after three days of stellar competition. Sixteen teams comprised of athletes from around the country gathered at the Virginia Beach Regional Training Center in Virginia Beach, Va. to learn from top coaches and compete for the title.
The athletes from around the country showed off their skills in front of selectors, coaches and fans as they competed for evaluation to further opportunities. Congratulations to all the athletes for their hard work and dedication the last few days.
The Junior Nexus Championship will finish this week with the U-21 Girls division, which takes place from July 14-16. The Senior NXC will occur in tandem from July 14-16.
The gold medal match took place on a balmy Sunday afternoon between Milan and Los Angeles. The play was back and forth in the first quarter, and it looked like the score would stay tied at 0-0 as the final 30 seconds ticked down. However, in the final 20 seconds, Kira Trader (Yorktown, Va.) nailed a sideline ball into the circle, which was tipped over by Karsin Beatty (Henrico, Va.) and picked up by Josephine Purdy (Virginia Beach, Va.), who pulled around the goalkeeper and sent the ball in. That first frame goal would turn out to be all that was needed, as Milan held onto their 1-0 lead for the remainder of the match to claim the championship title.
It was Mexico City against Barcelona in the bronze medal match. Three minutes in, Mexico City found a goal after earning a long hit off a penalty corner chance. Shae Larkee (Norwood, Mass.) dribbled into the circle and sent a little lifted reverse flick into the cage to put her team up 1-0. With a little under 4 minutes remaining in the first quarter, after weaving her way through traffic, Gracey Crawford (Houston, Texas) sent a ball across from the right to the stroke, where Julianna Casucci (Uxbridge, Mass.) finished it, giving Milan a 2-0 lead. Mexico City added to their tally in the third, when Kendall Gilmore (Uxbridge, Mass.) intercepted an aerial ball, then grabbed the rebound off a shot from Martina Garofoli (Tega Cay, S.C.).
Barcelona wouldn’t go down without a fight, scoring a goal of their own when Abigail Giusto (Brambleton, Va.) sent in a straight shot on penalty corner with time expired in the third. The score heading into the final frame would be 3-1, Mexico City, and it would stay that way for the remainder of the game. Mexico City protected their lead and took home the bronze medal.
USA Field Hockey would like to thank all the athletes, coaches, umpires, technical staff, umpire managers, staff and volunteers who continue to make the U-18 Girls NXC a success, and to extend its congratulations to the following teams on their tournament victories:
By USWNT
