U.S. Shows It Can Hit the Curve

They’re billed as the San Diego Eagles this weekend for the 28th California Cup, the annual invitational field hockey tournament and festival at Moorpark College.

A closer look reveals the squad actually is the U.S. men’s national team, including more players from the region than you can shake a curved wooden stick at.

Beneath cloudy skies Saturday, the Eagles posted two victories without yielding a goal, polishing off Taipei, 6-0, and Mexico, 2-0, to improve to 3-0 in the men’s super division entering the pool play final today against San Jose at 9 a.m.

San Diego clinched a tie for first in pool play and a berth in the semifinals today. The final is scheduled for Monday at 2.

Shawn Hindy of Westlake Village scored two goals against Mexico to lead the U.S. team in a preview of a scheduled matchup in the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada, in July.

Hindy slapped at a rolling ball to beat goaltender Hugo Silva 12 minutes into the game for the only goal of the first half.

Late in the second half, Shawn Nakamura of Camarillo scored off a short corner, a play similar to a corner kick in soccer. Hindy scored again in the final minute on a stroke, a play similar to a penalty shot in hockey.

The game and its nuances might have seemed strange to newcomers to the tournament, which has grown from six teams to 111 over the years and includes live music, crafts and ethnic foods. But the setting was familiar for seven members of the Eagles who hail from Ventura County and grew up playing at Moorpark.

“I’ve been playing in this tournament since 1984,” said Scott Williams of Thousand Oaks, a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team. “I think I missed it one year because my family went on vacation and I was mad about it.”

Williams scored a goal and Nakamura had two against Taipei. Brian Schledorn of Thousand Oaks, Ryan Langford and Mike Schanafelt of Camarillo, and Dean Nakamura, Shawn’s brother and the team’s goalkeeper, also suited up.

“This particular field has produced [about] half the players for the national team over the years,” said Robert Hindy, Shawn Hindy’s father and tournament chairman.

Shawn Hindy, an alternate on the 1996 Olympic team, considered the effort valuable experience for the Pan Am Games, the first step in qualifying for the 2000 Olympics.

“It’s good to get our confidence up and show that we can beat [Mexico],” Hindy said. “We played a little ugly today, I thought. For myself, I felt a lot of pressure here in front of all our family and friends. When we played in Germany, I felt totally relaxed.”

San Diego defeated Vancouver, Canada, 2-1, on Friday. The men’s super division includes 10 teams from six countries, including England and India.