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A Bronze in Jamaica!

We’ve done it again. The second consecutive Bronze medal for Argentina at a PALA Sixes Cup! 

Our 13 player roster arrived at Kingston on Wednesday November 8th. As everyone trickled in, we experienced the usual mixture of feelings: excitement for the moment we had been looking forward to for months, joy of seeing teammates once again, tiredness from travel, cautiousness of our new surroundings, anticipation of the unknown ahead.

The first team meeting occurred that evening, where Coach Nico laid out the game plan for the week. The process had its share of X’s and O’s, but it also focused on a grander approach. It called for each member of the team to bring forth everything they had to offer and to commit to improving every chance they got in the tournament. For some, the contribution would be scoring and leading our offense, for others it would be causing turnovers and making big stops, and yet for others it would be leading or supporting their teammates in less tangible ways. No matter the role, we knew we all needed to contribute something in order to be the strongest unit we could be.

Day one started up early with the Opening Ceremonies, where we got to catch the first glimpse of the other nations being represented: Puerto Rico, Mexico, Haudenosaunee, Jamaica, US Virgin Islands, and Peru. After the ceremony came our first challenge… hanging out in 90 degree heat for several hours, waiting in anticipation for our first match vs. #15 ranked Mexico at 1:30pm. 

Our game vs Mexico was a roller coaster ride. During the first two quarters we struggled to find our rhythm, which left us down by nine at half time. Sixes is a much faster style of play so our players had to adjust to the speed, while also learning how to play with each other in the scorching heat. The most important thing we did during half time was to take a deep breath and relax. As soon as the second half whistle went off, a switch was flipped. The team rallied together and one stop at a time, goal after goal, they made an incredible comeback to win the game 15-14.

The following day was the largest challenge of them all as we had to play three group stage games to define the standings. We started with a tough, yet respectable 22-12 loss to a very strong #11 ranked Puerto Rico. We then had our second battle with Mexico, once again defined in the last few minutes of the game, which ended in a 16-13 Argentina victory. Lastly, we had to face Puerto Rico once again, which was tricky as we had already clinched second place in our group and had to consider the state of our players after playing all day. We finished the day with a 12-2 loss, but with our heads high and our gaze set on the following day. 

The final day consisted of the most difficult matchup against #8 ranked Haudenosaunee, followed by the Bronze Medal game. The eventual Gold Medal winners lived up to their reputation, as they played faster and smoother than anyone we had seen thus far in the tournament. Our strategy for this game was more about possession and conservation of energy on offense and refinement of a new scheme on defense. 

Finally the moment we had been waiting for arrived; the battle for Bronze! Peru was a talented young team, who had only played one game the day prior, so we knew it was going to be a steep mountain for us to climb. The game was extremely close quarter after quarter: Argentina 3, Peru 4… Argentina 7, Peru 8… Argentina 11, Peru 13. Our players were increasingly tired and overheated, every quarter barely making it off the field. Some icing their heads to fight lightheadedness, one pressing her sides to battle a cramp, another taking deep breaths to keep from thinking about her fractured finger. One last quarter was left, and it was at this moment that Coach Nico was thankful for all the gut-checks we had experienced in all the games leading up to this one. Just like that, it was happening again, one stop at a time, goal after goal, the team started feeling the ever-so-desired momentum switch which carried them to victory! Argentina 16, Peru 14.

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