This year’s women’s Olympic team may have been the best that USA Field Hockey has assembled.  There was veteran leadership from captain Kate Barber and forwards Angie Loy and Keli Smith, along with young stars such as Katelyn Falgowski, Rachel Dawson, Jesse Gey, and Dana Sensenig, all of whom could form the core for a number of future Olympic teams.

The team was extremely strong up the middle and built from the goal out, with keeper Amy Tran, central defenders Kelly Doton and Dawson, and halfbacks Kayla Bashore and Lauren Powley playing extremely strong and inspiring hockey throughout the Games.

This was a team which could have medaled, and was perhaps two executed penalty corners away from having a chance to do so; the American team had numerous chances on Matchday 5 against Great Britain, a 70th-minute corner against Argentina in the opener, and had good chances against the Japanese two days afterward.

And therein lies a problem: the U.S. finished the tournament converting just six out of 34 penalty corners, a shade under 18 percent. Although the United States has had fabulous corner strikers over the last 25 years — Beth Anders, Tracey Fuchs, Barb Marois, Kelly Dostal, Kelly Doton — one thing that the Americans have rarely had is a drag-flicker. Not just a person who can skim the ball thigh-high over a poster’s stick, but someone like Maartje Pauman, the wonderful Dutch specialist. While watching Holland’s games on broadband, I saw her roofing drag flicks as casually as Rick Barry shooting free throws.

Now, drag-flicking is something not often found in the women’s game. Indeed, at the Milton Keynes Olympic Qualifier of 2000, journalists were astounded with the ability of U.S. attacking midfielder Kris Fillat to drag-flick a goal — a feat almost Phelps-esque for the time.

The lack of a current American drag-flick threat was not the only factor that lent an air predictability to the United States system of play.  Certain players were given certain duties no matter how well or poorly their particular skill was executed throughout.  If the U.S. possessed the ball on the left side inside 40 yards from goal, all free hits were taken by Lauren Crandall.  If the U.S. possessed the ball deep in the back, almost every free hit or long pass was struck by Doton.  There ended up being a lack of variety in the attack.

The American team was also somewhat guilty of some youthful impatience.  A number of times, the United States gave up promising free-hit opportunities by taking free hits too quickly.  Though a number of winning coaches in the United States drill the need to take a free hit quickly before the defense has a chance to get set, the problem in international play is that the offense needs a chance to get set as well.

A different facet of that lack of patience was seen in the final match against Great Britain. Frustration was building amongst the American corner attack unit in trying to continuously smash the ball past the Britons’ logged goalkeeper Beth Storry. On more than one occasion, the Americans had clear possession of corner shot rebounds in the circle and could have simply undercut the ball into the netting (the shot being the second attempt off the penalty corner), but the shooters kept on trying to target the 18-inch goal board.

But what was also glaring throughout the tournament was the umpiring.  Fouls that were called in the first three matches were let go in the fourth and fifth games.  The Americans did their best to adjust to the arbitrary arbitrators, but never seemed entirely comfortable with the consistency of their decisions. Sometimes, the Americans would backpedal on whistles, assuming that calls went against them.

Then again, this scenario sums up the tournament for the United States. It seems as though the Applebees gained respect from just about everyone at the Olympic Games — except for those wearing whistles and black kilts.

USA LEADING SCORERS
Angie Loy 3-3 — 9
Keli Smith 3-1 — 7
Kate Barber 1-4 — 6
Kelly Doton 0-4 — 4
Kayla Bashore 1-0 — 2
Carrie Lingo 1-0 — 2
Dana Sensenig 1-0 — 2
Tiffany Snow 1-0 — 2
Lauren Crandall 0-1 — 1
Rachel Dawson 0-1 — 1

USA GOALKEEPING
Amy Tran, 29 saves on 40 opposing shots (.725 SV%, 1.78 GAA)

USA MAN-UP
1-for-5, total time 26 minutes

USA MAN-DOWN
3-for-3, total time 18 minutes

USA CORNER OFFENSE
6-for-34, 17.6 percent

USA CORNER DEFENSE
27-for-34, 79.5 percent