Oct. 17, 2008

From American Athletic Communications

Washington, D.C. - American University sophomore Christine Fingerhuth earned the honor to play for her native Chile in the 2008 Junior Pan American Field Hockey Games, held in Mexico City last weekend. Chile finished the Games with a silver medal, falling to the United States, 2-1 in overtime, while Fingerhuth was named the Tournament's Best Player after scoring seven total goals.

The Chileans advanced through pool play, defeating Trinidad and Tobago (5-1) and Bermuda (14-0), to secure a match with the five-time defending champion of the event, Argentina, in the semifinals. Argentina finished first in the Pool A standings, outscoring their competition 16-1, but the Chilean defense was solid, frustrating an Argentina attack that dominated play but was unable to score. Chile defeated Argentina by a 3-1 score, to advance to the gold medal game. The win marked the first-ever for Chileans over Argentina. Fingerhuth tallied a goal in the win.

"Being named MVP and beating Argentina are both huge accomplishments but one of them is more a personal success and the other one a team success," Fingerhuth said. "Beating Argentina was something very special for the entire team because it was a reflection of team effort and an historic win for Chile. It means a lot for me because I was part of history. As for being named MVP, it's rewarding to see all the hard work I've put into it has paid off as well as all the support that my family has always given me. It also shows how much I have grown and learned playing at AU.

The final between the USA and Chile was tightly contested, with Chile taking a 1-0 advantage, on a Fingerhuth goal. The USA tied the score in the second half and with neither team able to score in regulation, the game was sent into overtime. The USA scored the game-winning goal off a penalty corner four minutes into extra time to win the gold.

"It was a thrill to play for my country at such a high level against some of the best players in the world and I can just hope that the experiences I had in Mexico on and off the field are something that I can bring back to my team here at AU to help us reach our goal of winning another Patriot League championship and advancing deep into the NCAA tournament," Fingerhuth added.

Fingerhuth's seven goals, five in pool play and two in the medal rounds, ranked one behind the tournament leader, Katie O'Donnell of the USA. While with the National Team, Fingerhuth missed two games for the Patriot League-leading Eagles. American went 1-1 in her absence, defeating Colgate and falling to No. 2 Syracuse.

"We were thrilled to learn of Christine's recognition as the player of the tournament--this is an absolutely amazing achievement and shows her performance was instrumental in Chile nearly winning the Junior Pan Ams," said AU head coach Steve Jennings. "Her determination and drive to succeed on a daily basis has given her great results and improvements over the short time she has been a part of the AU field hockey program and we look forward to having her back in the lineup this weekend!"