COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (WTKR)- Only 18 field hockey players are selected to the roster for Team USA's Junior World Cup team. Virginia Beach will be represented with one of those roster spots.
Frank Cox graduate Leah Crouse has been selected to be part of Team USA for the event in Potchefstroom, South Africa. Crouse is a 2018 graduate of Cox and is currently a senior midfielder and forward at Duke. She's started 11 of the Blue Devils' 12 games so far this season and has tallied three goals and two assists. Back in 2019, the former Falcon led the Devils with 11 goals and 26 points.
"It's just an incredible honor. It means so much," Crouse told News 3 on Wednesday. "Any chance to represent the United States is an amazing opportunity and I just think back to all the work I've done, the support from my parents, family, friends. It's not just me, it's all of them, too."
Crouse led Cox to two state titles during her high school career, scoring the game-winning goal in the state championship game as a senior. She earned All-American honors and was the Class 6A State Player of the Year. While her success is well-documented, it's taken her plenty of work and sacrifice to get to this point.
"Lots of missed birthdays for sure," the former Falcon recalled. "I've missed a lot of family weddings and stuff, just because field hockey, to make it to this level is a huge time commitment."
The junior women's national team will take part in a pre-tournament holding camp in Charlotte, North Carolina, from November 26-29, before departing for South Africa. The Junior World Cup runs from December 5-16.
