Ward Melville Duo Tours Chile With U.S. Junior Team

The Long Island field hockey community is plenty familiar with the capabilities of former Ward Melville stars Abby Beltrani and Georgia Holland. With their help, the Patriots have won the last four Long Island Class A championships.

Beltrani and Holland are also no stranger to the international stage and this week is another chapter in their travels. This week as part of the U.S. Junior National Field Hockey Team, they’re in Chile to compete against the Chilean Junior National Team as well as top local clubs.

In February at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., the Junior National Team competed in a four-game series against the Canadian Junior National Team. Canada was able to take three of four contests.

The U-19 team consists of high school seniors set for graduation as well as college freshman. After her prestigious Ward Melville career, which included being named First Team All-American as a senior, Holland enrolled at Yale University. Last fall, she was named Ivy League Co-Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-Ivy League. Holland had toured Argentina with the Junior National Team last April, and back in 2008, she played for the Junior Olympic Team that took silver.

Beltrani led Ward Melville to the Long Island Class A title this past fall; she’ll play for Duke beginning next year. Beltrani, a national All-American the last two years, has also competed for the U-19 and U-17 Junior National Teams as well.

The Ward Melville tandem are the only two players on the U-19 squad who hail from New York.

USA U19 Junior National Team schedule
Tuesday 4/19: vs. Grange School
Thursday 4/21: vs. Craighouse
Saturday 4/22: vs. Prince of Wales CC
Sunday 4/23: vs. Manequehue Club