Field Hockey's Amanda Janney Coaches USA Eagles to Women's National Championship Title

Amanda Janney (right) with Team USA Eagles

LANCASTER, Pa. - In her first year as the head coach of a USA High Performance Team for the U.S. Field Hockey Association (USFHA), Temple head coach Amanda Janney led Team USA Eagles to the title at the 2014 Women's National Championship (WNC). The Owls' Associate Head Coach Kelly Driscoll was an assistant coach for the team, and five Temple players were members of other teams at the WNC.

Spooky Nook Sports in Lancaster, Pa., was the home of this year's WNC, and it will also serve as the host of Temple's Conference Cup Tournament in late August. The WNC, which ran from June 16-21, served as the tryout for the 2014-15 U.S. Women's National Team.

In addition to the five Temple players from the 2013 roster who competed, graduate assistant coach Danica Deckard played for USA Blue and tied for third among all players with two goals. Rising redshirt junior Haley Mitchell was a goalkeeper for USA White, while rising senior Amber Youtz and rising sophomore Katie Foran played for USA Courage. Rising redshirt senior Lizzy Millen was a goalkeeper for USA Freedom, and was joined by recent graduate Molly Doyle. USA Freedom advanced to the title game against Janney's USA Eagles, and the game was decided in a shootout with a final score of 2-1 in favor of the Eagles.

Visit the following link to see a clip of Millen in action, making a save in the championship shootout: http://owlsports.com/watch/?Archive=424.

(L to R): Foran, Doyle, Mitchell,
Youtz and Janney

For Janney, it was the first time she was asked to be a head coach after spending the past five years as an assistant for the New Jersey High Performance Team.

Overall, 12 Temple players were members of USFHA High Performance Teams this summer, including 10 for Pennsylvania and two for New Jersey. The Owls have never had that many players on High Performance Teams in the past.

Pennsylvania High Performance Training Squad:
Alyssa Delp
Molly Doyle
Katie Foran
Amanda Fuertsch
Paige Gross
Nicole Kroener
Ali Meszaros
Lizzy Millen
Taylor Shronk
Rachel Steinman

New Jersey High Performance Training Squad:
Haley Mitchell
Amber Youtz

"We're proud of our players for making the commitment to compete at the next level," said Janney. "The high number of Temple players who made HP teams speaks volumes to this team's dedication to improve. We want our players to dream about making the USA National team, and HP gives them the opportunity to tryout each year.

"After coaching at the New Jersey HP site for five years (and winning the WNC championship four out of five years, 2009-2012), this year was a new challenge with hosting practices at Temple and coaching a new WNC team comprised of players from all seven regions," said Janney. "We had a great staff of assistant coaches for PA and Championship was a complete team effort. We gave the USA Eagles a good structure and a good game plan to follow. We didn't have a ton of attack, but the team made the most of our opportunities and found a way to win! Our defense and Goalkeepers were outstanding and the old adage of "defense wins championships" came true. This is the highest level to compete at in the USA and I believe my focus on teamwork and encouraging creative and aggressive leaders was key to the Eagles success."

Temple University Athletics

Field Hockey's Amanda Janney Coaches USA Eagles to Women's National Championship Title

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