T&T Under-21 hockey women suffered a 5-1 hammering to Chile in Pool B of the Pan American Junior Women’s Championship, in Mexico City, Mexico, yesterday.

Playing in the first match of the eight-team tournament, the David Francois-coached T&T women fell behind as early as the fifth minute via a Manuela Urroz field goal. Cristine Fingerhuth extended the lead six minutes later.

Nine minutes into the second-half, Figerhuth netted another field goal for Chile to lead 3-0 before US-based Alanna Lewis pulled one back from a penalty-corner for T&T in the 47th minute.

Chile continued to dominate and regained its three-goal cushion when Josefa Villalabeitia scored on a penalty-corner on the hour mark. Catalina Sclabos rounded off the scoring one minute from the end of the 70-minute minute contest.

T&T, captained by Stag Malvern’s Teresa Lezama, will have little time to ponder on the defeat as they face USA today from 10.30 am before closing out round-robin play against Bermuda on Thursday.

The Americans clobbered Bermuda 21-0 in its opener after leading 9-0 at the interval.

For the USA, Kaitlyn Perrelle led the onslaught with a beavertrick while Elizabeth Drazdoswki and Katie O’Donnell netted hattricks.

Melissa Gonzalez, Tara Puffenberger and Camille Gandhi chipped in with two apiece. Michelle Cesan, Marta Malmberg, Katie Reinprecht, Alexis Pappas and Kat Sharkey added the others.

In Group A play late yesterday, Argentina came up against Barbados and Uruguay battled host Mexico.

At the end of the group round-robin series, the top two teams in each group will qualify for the cross-over semi-final with the other two remaining teams in the group facing off in fifth to eight placed semi-final matches also on October 10 from 9 am.

The plays-offs and finals will take place two days later from 8 am.

The championship is serving as a Junior World Cup Qualifier, with the top three finishers receiving automatic qualification to the sixth Junior Women’s World Cup in Boston, USA.

T&T’s 1993 women’s team, led by Nicky Young Pow, created history when it qualified for the Junior Women’s World Cup in Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain.

T&T had finished runners-up to Argentina in the Pan Am Qualifier held in Venezuela in 1992, who went on to win the Junior World Cup. NS