Richmond field hockey standout Bea Francisco has helped Canada qualify for 2013 Junior World Cup by finishing second at last week's Pan American Junior Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The 20-year-old goalkeeper was between the pipes when Canada dropped a 2-1 decision to heavily favoured Argentina in last Saturday's championship game. It was Canada's best finish at the tournament since earning silver in 1997.
The Canadians had clinched a World Cup berth three days earlier with a 3-1 semi-final victory over Chile. The result setup a rematch an with unbeaten Argentina team that had rolled to a 6-0 win over Canada in earlier round-robin play.
This time, the Canadian girls hung tough with the match still scoreless in the second half. Argentina finally broke through with a pair of goals in a 10-minute span but Canada made things interesting when Karli Johansen put her team on the board in the 66th minute.
"I am so proud of this team - they fought so hard," said head coach Peter Milkovich. "We delivered our best game on the biggest night; it just wasn't enough against one of the top two teams in the world. We will get better in time - it will come."
Francisco will now focus on her university season with the defending CIS national champion UBC Thunderbirds.
The 2013 Junior World Cup will take place in India. The Canadian junior men's team also earned silver at the Pan American Championships to secure its spot at the Junior World Cup
