Hill third form field hockey student-athlete Opal Sparling '26 recently returned from South Africa after representing the United States at the 2023 Fédération Internationale de Hockey (FIH) Indoor Hockey World Cup (IHWC) from February 5-10, 2023. Sparling is the second Hill School student in just two years to be named to an IHWC team. Madi Orsi ’22, who currently plays for the University of Vermont, was selected in 2022.
“I am honored to have been selected to attend and compete in the World Cup of the USA Women's Indoor National Team, especially since I am so young and still developing my skills and growing as a player,” Sparling remarked.
According to Sparling, once in South Africa, the team went straight to work. The first few days consisted of one practice in the morning, and one practice in the evening to prepare for the upcoming international tournament on February 5. These practices included matches against Belgium, Ukraine, and Namibia on February 2 and 3.
The team finished with an overall record of 2-1-3, which landed them 9th overall in the tournament. Below are the results for each match:
Australia vs. USA 4-2
Austria vs. USA 2-1
USA vs. South Africa 2-2
USA vs. New Zealand 9-0
Netherlands vs. USA 3-2
USA vs. Kazakhstan 5-1
Sparling holds a great amount of pride in the opportunity to play with an international team. At only 15 years of age (and the average age for the team being 19) she was one of the youngest players on the USA team. Many of the players on the other teams were at least 20 years old. Considering the age difference between Team USA and their opponents, Sparling noted that she was “very proud” of their final record.
The Netherlands team ultimately walked away with the FIH IHWC trophy after winning each of their games. Team USA was the only team in the tournament to lose by one point (3-2) against the Netherlands team, which they only lost by a game-winning corner shot in the last few seconds of the game.
Sparling left her mark in the tournament by scoring a goal against New Zealand, adding to their 9-0 win. She is no stranger to scoring goals as she most recently scored the game-winning goal for Hill in the final minute of the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) Championships against Episcopal Academy on November 16, 2022.
As a young, aspiring field hockey student-athlete, Sparling looked up to a lot of her teammates. “It was not long before I was selected that I was only looking up to the people participating on the international level, and it was a true honor to have reached that level myself,” She proudly says.
She noted that regardless of their age differences, the team became close. The older athletes took the time to get to know and guide the younger athletes while forming lasting friendships.
“The team, including our coaches, are very proud of what we accomplished in South Africa and it will forever be a truly memorable experience,” Sparling said.