The United States placed 6th at this year’s FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup held in Santiago, Chile. Coming into the tournament ranked 13th, this year’s finish was the highest placing by the U.S. Women’s U-21 Team in history at the Junior World Cup. 

The American roster was dominated by collegiate talent and featured players who are making a name for America. on the national stage of women’s field hockey. Of the 18 women named to the roster, 16 play collegiately in the NCAA. Here are five collegiate players who helped make history. 

Alaina McVeigh

McVeigh had a standout tournament this year and tied for leading scorer on the U.S. team with three goals. The Duke University senior, who started all of the Junior Eagles’ matches, brought a wealth of experience to the roster as she has made appearances with the U.S. Senior National Indoor Team. 

McVeigh scored the first goal of the tournament for the U.S. in a 5-2 win over New Zealand in their opening game of Pool F on December 1. McVeigh would go on to score her second goal, capitalizing on a one-on-one with the New Zealand goalie in the same game, solidifying her as Player of the Match. Following up her two-goal performance, McVeigh helped lead the Americans in a dominant 4-0 win over Korea in their second game of pool play, scoring her third goal of the tournament. 

This past women’s field hockey season in the NCAA, McVeigh helped lead Duke to the NCAA Tournament field hockey quarterfinals before they lost to No.1 North Carolina.

Maci Bradford

After leading her University of Maryland Terps in points this past season with 18 points, which came off of five goals and eight assists, Bradford picked up right where she left off. Bradford, a junior forward at Maryland, was one of four goal scorers, along with McVeigh, for the Americans in their win over Korea. 

She would score her second goal of the tournament in the Junior Eagles’ final pool play game against Uruguay. Pouncing on a spill from Uruguay’s goalie, Bradford’s goal in the second quarter put the U.S. up 2-0 on their way to a 3-1 win.

Bradford first represented America nationally on the U.S. U-18 team. Earlier this year, she was also a part of the 2025 Junior Pan American Cup team that brought home a silver medal. For her role with the Terps this past season, Bradford was named to the 2025 All Big-Ten Second Team. 

Dani Mendez

One of the more experienced players on this year’s roster with 22 caps, Mendez was a part of this year’s top-ranked University of North Carolina team. Mendez scored in the Junior Eagles win over Uruguay, helping to set the tone early with the first goal of the game off of a penalty corner. In the final game for the U.S. of the Junior World Cup, Mendez scored the American’s lone goal in their 1-3 loss against Germany.

Before her senior year at UNC, Mendez starred at the University of Virginia. This year at UNC, she helped lead the Tarheels to the NCAA Tournament Final Four. 

Mendez has been a leader for Team USA—she won a gold medal at the 2023 Junior Pan American Championships with the U-21 team and a silver medal at the 2024 Junior Pan American Championships. 

“We wanted to show that we are one of the best teams in the world. We played with effort, energy and without giving up any balls. We defended when needed and attacked when it was our moment, because that is what this United States team is about.”

Mia Abello

Mia Abello

A captain for her University of Virginia team and this year’s Junior World Cup team, Abello has been impactful wherever she goes. The junior back at UVA scored in the American’s win over Korea, but her leadership on defense was vital for the team’s run. Her role earned her Player of the Match honors in the American’s 2-1 win over England, solidifying the U.S. their highest finish in Junior World Cup history. 

"We wanted to show that we are one of the best teams in the world,” Abello said after the match against England. “We played with effort, energy and without giving up any balls. We defended when needed and attacked when it was our moment, because that is what this United States team is about."

Abello has appeared for the U.S. Senior National Team and was a part of the 2023 U.S. Junior team that placed 10th at the FIH Field Hockey Junior World Cup in 2023. 

Olivia Bent-Cole

One of two national champions on the Junior World Cup roster with Northwestern University this year, Bent-Cole scored one of the most important goals for the U.S. in the tournament. Her goal in the second quarter against England put the Junior Americans up 1-0 on the way to a 2-1 win.. Bent-Cole’s lone goal of the tournament helped punch the team’s ticket to the 5/6th place match against Germany. 

At just 20-years-old Bent-Cole is one of the most decorated athletes on the U-21 roster. Moving through the ranks from the U.S. U-16 to the Senior National Team, she has won a gold medal, two silver medals, and a bronze medal with Team USA. Along with being a two-time national champion with Northwestern she is also a two-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree. 

What’s next

As the U.S. looks to make a name for themselves on the national stage of women’s field hockey, look for these five women to be a part of it. Their historic placing at this year’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup could just be the start of something special in the U.S., along with inspiring the next generation of women’s field hockey players.