Team Canada has won their first game in men’s field hockey at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima.On Tuesday, Canada defeated Mexico 5-1.
The event is being used as an Olympic qualifier for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The winner of the men’s field hockey tournament of the Pan American Games will have been the second team to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games, following Japan, which got an automatic berth as the host.
In Canada’s win over Mexico, Team Canada got two goals each from Oliver Scholfield and Mark Pearson of Vancouver, British Columbia. Canada’s other goal scorer was Keegan Pereira of Ajax, Ontario.
Canada’s biggest rival in the tournament is Argentina, which beat Chile 5-1. In the other games, Cuba beat the Trinidad and Tobago 3-2 and the United States trounced the host team from Peru 16-0.
In women’s field hockey action on Wednesday, Canada lost 3-0 to Argentina to see their record fall to a record of one win and one loss. Argentina has been stringent defensively, as they have not given up a goal in each of their two wins. In other action, Mexico beat Peru 4-0, the United States beat Chile 4-2 and Uruguay beat Cuba 8-1. The United States (other than Argentina) are the only other team to have won its first two games of the Olympic women’s field hockey qualifying tournament at the 2019 Pan American Games so far.
