The US Women’s National Floorball Team defeated Team Canada 8-2 over the course of two AMER Qualification games in Toronto, Ontario during the final weekend of February. Exciting back and forth play was displayed in game 1 with USA banking 3 points to Canada’s 1. Game 2 brought similar play but with a strong defensive effort and steady attacking on offense, USA was able to pull away from Canada, ending game 2 in a 5-1 win, and ultimately an 8-2 win over Canada.
USA showed consistency and depth by scoring every period, and with five different goal scorers. Goalkeeper Kate MacBean closed out the games with a 95% save percentage and 41 saves in total. From this victory, USA receives the 16
th and final spot to compete in the 2023 World Floorball Championships in Singapore this December.
“This has been our goal since our 2019 failure in Neuchâtel, where we did not perform to the level we expected from ourselves,” states US Floorball Association President, Calle Karlsson. “The four-year goal since then has been to rebuild and aim at breaking into the top 10 teams at the WFC in Singapore 2023. The last WFC 2021 and this qualifier were important milestones on that trajectory, along with commitments by all the players and staff,” says Karlsson.
To secure this 16
th spot, Team USA’s Head Coach, Daniel Dalbjer worked to implement a cohesive strategy on the court. He explains, “Our defense starts with Kate MacBean in the goal who had two fantastic games and only let in two goals the entire weekend. It continues all the way to the top with our captain, Marie Häggström, leading by example and being a huge part in our offensive game. We are very proud of how we executed this WFCQ with a complete team effort. We found something really good here and cannot wait for the WFC. Our goal of becoming a top 10 ranked floorball team is very clear.”
Next steps on the road to Singapore include two development camps later this year, one in the US during Nationals and one in Sweden. Organizationally, focusing on finding sponsors to better help support the team is also a priority clarifies, Team Manager, Ann Lövgren. The United States Floorball Association is excited for the continued opportunity to advance its women’s program.
On Saturday’s game 1 of the AMER Qualifications, veteran player, Tiffany Gerber, played her 50
th game on Team USA.
