Ashley Hoffman plays as a midfielder for Team USA Field Hockey. A graduate of North Carolina, she helped lead the team to a national championship and won the Honda Sports Award as the nation’s best player in 2018. Below, she talks with Just Women’s Sports about Team USA’s failure to qualify for the upcoming Olympics, what comes next for the program, and the personal goals that keep her motivated. 

Can you first walk us through how teams qualify for the Olympics? 

Two years ago, the FIH (the International Hockey Federation) started an international pro league in order to get field hockey on the map and make it more accessible to both viewers and players. Nine of the world’s best teams compete in a round-robin style tournament with games from January to June.

During the last Olympic cycle, a team could qualify for the games just by winning certain summer tournaments, world leagues and continental games. But they changed the process completely, so that this time around it was very dependent on your pro league results, because those determined your qualifying draw. So results from the 2019 pro league determined both your world ranking and who you had to play in your Olympic qualifying matches. Higher ranked teams played lower rank teams, which is obviously a huge advantage. We ended up coming in last place, which really hurt our rankings, and when they announced the qualifying matches, we drew India.

What happened in your Olympic qualifying series against India?

Well first of all, India hosted the series since they were the higher ranked team. And we had to play two games, back-to-back. Whichever team had the highest aggregate score after the two games won the series. India ended up scoring more goals across the two games and clinched the aggregate 6-5 victory. Despite coming back to win the second game 4-1, we fell short in goals scored, lost the series and did not qualify for the Olympics. It was heartbreaking.

Were you confident heading into the series?  

Going into both games, we had a clear plan in place based on how we knew India played. We’d played them before, and felt like we knew them in and out. When we actually got to India, I think their home crowd was a huge distraction. There were so many people there, all cheering for India of course. In the first game, we fell apart and went down five goals, so coming into the second game, we knew we had a huge mountain to climb. We had to make up a lot of ground in order to win the series and clinch our Olympic spot. I was proud of how we fought in that second game because we made a comeback, but unfortunately still fell short by two goals.

Captain Ashley Hoffman scores @USAFieldHockey's first goal of the Pro league season ????

➡️ https://t.co/SONSpAedQO pic.twitter.com/f30S2QDqP4

— Bleacher Report Live (@brlive) February 7, 2020

What was the makeup of Team USA ahead of the series? Were there a lot of veteran players on the roster?

No, actually. We only had two Olympians from the 2016 games on our roster. And then if you looked at the average cap number for India compared to our team, there was a significant difference. India was very experienced. However, I think the ability to hold her own against India and almost come back just shows the potential we have for the next Olympics and even the World Cup, which is in two years.

Why was the roster so young? Did a lot of players retire?

Players usually retire around the age of 30 or even before, but I know we had some girls that probably could have kept playing that didn’t. We’re one of the only full time programs in the world, so our players are limited in the jobs they can have outside of the team, because our training is like a nine to five job, even though it doesn’t really pay like one. A lot of girls coach for extra money because our income is very tight. We’re definitely not living a glamorous lifestyle by any means. Then again, it’s all of our dreams, so we’re willing to sacrifice. But by the time players are 30, there’s a lot of factors to consider, and it’s common for players to then want to move on with their lives. Having kids is obviously a huge factor, as it’s hard to come back from that.

Where does the team go from here after not qualifying for the Olympics? Are you just focused on the World Cup in a few years? 

We’re focused on the Pan American games and the World Cup, both of which will happen in about two years.  After we did not qualify for the Olympics, which was the first time since 2004 for Team USA, our head coach was removed. We changed training facilities, moving out of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and temporarily to Chula Vista, California. There have been a lot of different organizational changes, and as a team, right now I think we’re all focused on finding a place to train and get better.

What does your off season normally look like (pre-coronavirus)?

It’s actually kind of crazy with the pro league, which now goes from January to June. I’m typically only home for about five weeks of those six months. We’re training so often that my teammates and I always joke that our house is just a storage unit because we’re never actually home. Thankfully, I grew up about 40 minutes from Lancaster, which is where we used to train full time, so I didn’t have that extra rent burden that many of my teammates had.

What do you think Team USA will look like once training resumes?

It’s stressful, but we’re in a rebuilding phase again. We have a new coach and we will hopefully have a home training facility soon, so right now we are just trying to define our culture and goals moving forward. How we come out of losing the qualifier and the chaos of this pandemic will really determine the future of our program. We want to build a program that makes players want to stay involved until they’re in their mid to late thirties and that allows players to have a baby and still come back to play or have another job and still play. I think all of the hardships that we went through this past year, and all the hardship that the world is going through right now, gives us an opportunity to change the narrative and alter our future course.

What is your individual goal as a field hockey player on Team USA moving forward?

My goal is to become one of the best players in the world. I want to aim high because it keeps me motivated. I find that when I ask the younger girls who I coach what their goals are, it is usually something like making the national team or going to the Olympics. But for me, I want to think bigger than that. I want to win an Olympic gold. I want to be the best in the world, not just the best in the country. That’s what motivates me to put in the work.

I’m not sure I thought about my goals in the same way in college as I do now. I’m the type of player who plays best when they’re making the players around them better — I’m definitely more of a distributor than I am a fancy goal scorer. It was in college that I really solidified that identity and found out what my strengths were. And then when I made the national team, I started dreaming bigger.

UCLA-bound high school senior Sienna Betts led the West team to a decisive 104-82 victory over the East in the McDonald's All-American Girls Game held last night at New York's Barclays Center.

The 6'4" forward contributed 16 points, seven rebounds, and two assists, earning MVP honors for her performance. ​

Betts is currently the class of 2025's No. 2 overall recruit. Only Texas-based point guard Aaliyah Chavez, who recently committed to the Oklahoma Sooners, ranks above her.

Betts to join sister Lauren Betts at UCLA next year

Betts's performance is a good indicator of her potential impact at UCLA next year. There, she'll join forces with her sister Lauren Betts, the senior currently leading the Bruins to this season's NCAA Final Four after transferring in from Stanford.

The Betts sisters' arrival is highly anticipated, with Lauren opting to forgo the 2025 WNBA Draft in order to play out her final year of college eligibility alongside her little sister.

“For me, it [committing to UCLA] was a lot about how the coaches care about you off the court, and the coaches at UCLA, they really care about your mental health,” Betts told The Flagler College Gargoyle after committing last year. “Every team that I’ve ever been on, we’ve been a family… So, they really cared about that part of basketball for me, and they showed me that on my visits and when I called to talk to them.”

Betts in good company as McDonald's All-American Game MVP

In Brooklyn, Betts showcased her ability among the sport's best high school talent. Recent McDonald's All-American MVPs have all gone onto fuel prominent NCAA programs, including top-ranked recruits UConn's Sarah Strong, South Carolina's Joyce Edwards, USC's JuJu Watkins, Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo, and UCLA's own Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez.

The McDonald's All-American Game has a storied history of highlighting promising players, with past MVPs subsequently laying the foundation for future superstars.

Less than a day after Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles shocked the women’s basketball world by opting to enter the transfer portal rather than declare for the 2025 WNBA Draft, the Irish’s transfer fall-out has continued.

Sophomore guard Emma Risch and freshman forward Kate Koval have also entered the portal, with Koval — who started in 10 games this season — leading the Irish in blocks.

Between transfer moves and graduating seniors, sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo remains Notre Dame’s only returning starter — a sharp turn for an Irish squad ranked No. 1 in the country just six weeks ago.

Other top NCAA programs see transfer portal movement

Notre Dame isn’t the only top-tier program experiencing a roster shakeup after exiting the 2025 NCAA tournament.

LSU sophomore forward Sa'myah Smith entered the transfer portal after the Tigers’ season ended in Sunday’s Elite Eight. USC sophomore guard Aaliyah Gayles subsequently followed suit after the Trojans fell to UConn on Monday.

Schools like TCU have become national contenders via the transfer portal, with the Horned Frogs recruiting both Hailey Van Lith and Sedona Prince ahead of their first-ever Elite Eight run. Former Kentucky center Clara Silva is the latest transfer to commit to TCU, as the team comes off their best tournament finish in school history.

The modern era of NCAA roster-building is upon us, with top players taking the reigns as ambitious teams scramble to fill offseason gaps.

The NWSL is looking to sign a new Sunday night TV deal, according to a Sports Business Journal report published this week.

The league is targeting a two-year deal starting in 2026, with both new and existing TV partners interested in picking up additional NWSL games.

NWSL looks to build on multimillion dollar TV deal

The NWSL is currently two years into a four-year, $240 million TV partnership with ESPN, Prime, ION, and CBS Sports. However, the current contract doesn’t cover the entire schedule. And with league expansion planned for 2026, even more inventory is on the way.

SBJ notes that the market for this season’s lineup has been strong. In fact, all four media partners have already sold out all their 2025 advertising slots.

“You cannot find a place to spend right now,” IMG’s Hillary Mandel said at a recent Business of Soccer event hosted by SBJ. “We know what’s motivating interest is the fact that there’s no place to invest. That’s a phenomenal story in such a short period of time."

ESPN spotlighted for TV network-owned Sunday lineup

ESPN could be a prime candidate for a Sunday package, with the network set to move on from Sunday Night Baseball after the 2025 MLB season.

The NWSL has traditionally leaned into network-owned nights, with Prime airing Friday night matchups and ION running Saturday double-headers.

The NWSL’s most recent contract subsequently added serious value to the league. And the returns have networks coming back for more, setting up a potential bidding war and easing growing pains as new teams join the fold.

UCLA will hit the court for their first-ever NCAA Final Four on Friday, but as they extend the most successful season in program history, the Bruins have looked anything but green.

“We said talent was going to be our floor,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said after Sunday’s Elite Eight win over LSU. “Our character, our chemistry, our habits were going to be our ceiling.”

With just two losses on the season, UCLA’s status as a first-rate NCAA title contender has actually been years in the making.

Roster-building paves the way to the Final Four

In 2022, the Bruins signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, stacking their roster with top high school standouts Gabriela Jaquez, Kiki Rice, and Londynn Jones.

UCLA then upped their game even further last year, when 2022 No. 1 overall recruit Lauren Betts transferred in from Stanford — a move that fueled the Bruins all the way to the Sweet 16 with the promise of even greater success.

“Everyone came to UCLA for this reason: to do something we haven't done in a really long time,” Jaquez said on Sunday. “[I’m] just really proud of my teammates, the staff, the coaches, just continuing to get better every day and grow from each season prior.

With Lauren Betts at center, UCLA leans on depth

As one of the most dominant post players in college basketball, Betts is at the literal center of every UCLA performance. But that doesn’t mean the Bruins lack the depth it takes to handle a team like Final Four opponent UConn.

“When we have a deep team, I don’t have to be in the game at all times,” Betts said. “I have a team full of players who are just amazing and talented in their own right, and they put in the work.”

All in all, UCLA is coming into their own after developing much of its squad from the ground-up. Now it's time to make the case that patient roster-building can pay off on NCAA basketball’s biggest stage.