Ehrlichman propels 'Team USA' to No. 7 finish

Lauren Ehrlichman got some culture shock a month ago in South America. Not from the Chileans, of course, but from the field hockey.

"The difference in the size of the athletes, the speed, the skill was so incredibly different," the senior attack said.

Ehrlichman was part of the 18-member U.S. Junior National team that traveled to Chile for the Junior World Cup field hockey tournament that takes place once every four years. It features the best under-21 women in the sport from the top 16 countries. Perennial powerhouses Germany and England showed up, as did Zimbabwe.

To become a member of the national team, Ehrlichman had to first try out and make one of its regional teams in January. Doing so earned her a spot on the New Jersey/Pennsylvania team, which she practiced and played with all spring and into June. This regional season culminated in a major tournament in June against all the other regional teams from across the country. Based on her performance in that tournament, Ehrlichman was selected to attend what is known as the Elite Team Trials held on the Penn State campus. There, she competed against about 40 girls for the 18 available spots. Those who did not make the main World Cup team could be chosen as "squad" members, essentially serving as alternates. That actually had been Ehrlichman's fate in previous attempts to make the team, falling just short of claiming a starting spot, until this past year when she finally made the number one team.

The national team players were able to practice together for a week that summer, but they then went back to their respective colleges and high schools — two members of the team are still in high school — to play the first couple games of the season before heading to Chile. Ehrlichman was able to compete for the Tigers for a week, in which time she was named Ivy League Player of the Week.

As a star player for Princeton, she knew that her on-field contributions would be sorely missed and had some regrets about leaving her team. But Ehrlichman's other U.S. teammates were in the same boat. Fortunately, Ehrilchman's resolve was strengthened by the support from her coaches and professors. Go, they said, the opportunity was unbelievable. She couldn't possibly disagree.

The U.S. National Team arrived in Santiago on the redeye from Atlanta having never placed in the top eight in Junior World Cup competition. Yet awaiting them that night, in their first and only scrimmage, was the juggernaut from Germany. A team whose players were, according to Ehrlichman, noticeably bigger than their U.S. counterparts.

"We stepped off the plane, had a couple hours to unpack and situate ourselves and then headed over to the field, warmed up for about 30 minutes and played against what became the No. 2 team in the tournament," she said. "I think we were all surprised at how our team was able to adjust to the international game and step up and tie the Germans."

What the Americans lacked in size, they made up for in athleticism. After coming away with a 1-1 tie, the team was pumped.

The tournament was set up in round-robin format, with every team playing all three other teams in their "division" and then playing tournament style from there. The U.S. division included Britain, top-seeded Holland and Zimbabwe.

After beating Britain, 4-2, in a hard-fought match, Ehrlichman and "Team USA" trounced Zimbabwe, 14-0. They then took advantage of some nifty video editing software to scout for their test against Holland. The team needed all the help and preparation it could get — its week of playing together before the school year paled in comparison with other World Cup teams, who had been touring with each other for a month before the tournament.

"The players were so skilled and had trained for each other so much that they knew exactly where their teammates would be, so as soon as they received the ball they released it to great spaces," Ehrlichman said.

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The team tied Holland, clinching the win in its pool and the chance to play for gold. But the U.S. momentum slowed, and they lost a couple games and tied another. Finally, the U.S. beat South Africa to take seventh place, still the best-ever finish by an American team.

'Team USA' left its mark on Ehrlichman. Smuggling a few tricks learned from the international competition, a more confident player made it through Atlanta customs. Now, finishing her senior year in Princeton, Ehrlichman is all Tiger again, just with a little extra power.