Freshman Noora Qureshi participated in the USA Field Hockey National Indoor Festival with Lonestar U19, her club team, in February.
The Indoor Field Hockey Nationals Festival was held in Virginia Beach, VA., and was hosted for both youth and adult teams. There were co-ed U12, U14, U16 and U19 brackets. This festival is an event that allows teams to qualify for the National Indoor Tournament.
“It was a really good learning experience playing with the older girls who have played at a higher level,” Qureshi said.
Senior Zoya Iyer is one of Qureshi’s teammates who also played at the Field Hockey National Festival.
“Noora’s skill level is on par with the rest of the U19 team,” Iyer said “Her skillset and game IQ allows her to blend in seamlessly with the team and even stand out on the field as a great player.”
The event is much different than an outdoor tournament. The field was smaller than an outdoor tournament, with only six players on the field.
“Some of the rules are different in indoor [field hockey],” Qureshi said. “There is no lifting, you can’t drill and you can rebound off the side boards.”
Lifting is where you throw the ball up in the air above your knee, drilling is where players play the ball deliberately hard into the player, and you can rebound off the sideboards in the building.
At the tournament there were various college coaches scouting out players, a majority of them from Division II and Division III colleges.
The Indoor Field Hockey National Festival was her first time playing with the girls U19 team, and although she has been practicing with them, it was still a daunting experience.
Qureshi’s team placed fifth out of the six teams for the girls U19 division.
