March 30, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina's Rachel Dawson earned Player of the Tournament honors as the U.S. Under-21 team claimed the silver medal at the Pan Am Junior Championships, played March 16-27 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The second-place finish gives the U.S. a spot in the Junior World Cup this September in Santiago, Chile.

Dawson, a rising junior and the 2004 Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, was one of four Tar Heels on the 18-member squad. Also playing for the U.S. were Laree Beans, Heather Kendell and Brooke Miller.

The American team finished pool play 5-0 with five shutouts. In addition to her outstanding defensive play, Dawson scored four goals. Argentina beat the U.S. 3-1 in the championship game to claim its fifth consecutive Junior Pan Am crown.

Earning spots in the Junior World Cup along with Argentina and the U.S. were third-place Chile and fourth-place Canada. Other countries in the 16-team Junior World Cup field are Australia, Belarus, China, Scotland, England, Spain, Germany, India, Korea, The Netherlands, South Africa and Zimbabwe.