“Huge waves of emotion, the highs and lows” - Ashley Hoffman relives drama of Olympic qualifiers ahead of Women’s Hockey India League [Exclusive]

With the maiden Women's Hockey India League set to begin on Sunday (January 12), Ashley Hoffman, who will represent the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, is excited to return to India for a variety of reasons.

Hoffman, who was part of the USA side that lost to India in the 2019 Olympic qualifiers, turned the clock back on the drama and the emotion of two contrasting encounters played on successive days in Bhubaneswar.

The USA did beat India though in the 2024 qualifiers in Ranchi en route to qualifying for the Paris Olympics, thus enabling Ashley to fulfil a long-cherished desire of becoming a hockey Olympian much like her mother.

During the course of an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda, the American player reveals how her mother's 1984 Olympic bronze inspired her to play hockey while also reflecting on what makes playing in India so different.

Back in 1984, the USA women's field hockey team qualified for the Los Angeles Olympics as hosts. The home side were not in the competition just to make up the numbers though, with the Americans notching up two wins and a draw in a tournament that involved a six-nation round-robin format.

Australia and the USA played a shoot-out for the third place, with the home side emerging victorious and finishing on the podium. In the USA's bronze medal-winning team was Brenda Stauffer-Hoffman, who went on to pursue hockey coaching in Ashley's high school as part of a youth program.

"So my mom played for the U.S. field hockey team and actually won a bronze medal in 1984 in L.A. She was coaching when she was pregnant with me and coaching when I was little," Ashley Hoffman recalled.

"As soon as I could join the youth program at my high school, which she actually started, I did, which was a year earlier than the others. So she was influential from the very beginning in my love for field hockey," she added.

Ashley Hoffman also mentioned that she was the youngest in the hockey group in college having started out a year earlier than the rest before deciding that it was "too difficult." No doubt she changed her mind and subsequently grew to love the sport.

"I always tell her it's funny that the first year I played, I was smaller than everyone else. And I came to her after the season, I was like, I don't think I like field hockey. It's too difficult. And she was like, okay okay. Of course, I played the next year and I loved it," Ashley recollected with a laugh.

Ashley Hoffman didn't just love playing the game. She was on the verge of becoming an Olympian much like her mother back in 2020.

To make it to Tokyo, however, the USA had to play India in back-to-back Olympic qualifier games, with the goal aggregate from the two matches determining which team would qualify for the Games.

The USA missed several chances allowing India to run away with a comprehensive 5-1 win in the first match played at the iconic Kalinga Stadium. Ashley remembers having a team meeting to get the players to come together after the initial setback.

"Losing that first game 5-1, we could go two ways. One way was almost to give up because that's a huge mountain to climb. So I remember having a meeting and really coming together," Ashley Hoffman revealed.

"And the belief in our group to go out and win that second game was enormous. And we really all bought in. And I think it's those little moments where you are with a group of people and you believe so deeply and desperately as one unit that kind of changes you," the 28-year-old disclosed.

The meeting did yield significant results. Little did the Indians know what was in store when Rani Rampal led her side onto the pitch the next day.

The American girls under the tutelage of Janneke Schopman went into the half-time break leading by four goals having leveled up the aggregate. It took a superlative effort from Rani Rampal herself to enable the Indians to edge the USA 6-5 on aggregate and book a place in the Tokyo Olympics.

"We ended up losing, but I think if had they not scored, we would have gone into shootouts or something. But then again, throughout that entire second match, every time we would score a goal, it was just the passion and emotion that came through our team," Ashley Hoffman stated.

Through the waves of emotion that flowed, the player from Pennsylvania reflected on the glorious uncertainties of sport that made it so special.

"It was electric. So it remains one of the most favourite games that I played in. And of course, we ended up not qualifying and India scored that one goal in the game. And it was a low again. So it was just these huge waves of emotion, the highs and the lows," she stated in a tone that mirrored the emotion.

"But that's sport. It's unexpected and it's passionate. And that's part of the reason why we all play," Ashley Hoffman declared striking a philosophical note.

"I am over the moon that we had that experience" - Ashley Hoffman on playing in Paris after getting through Ranchi qualifiers

Ashley Hoffman part of the Team USA Welcome Experience Ahead of Paris 2024 - Source: Getty

The drama of the India-USA clash did not end with the 2019 qualifiers though. As fate would have it, both teams ended up playing each other yet again in the qualifiers ahead of the Paris Olympics, with India hosting the event once again.

"At some point, it was a realization that, oh, my gosh, we're going back to India and having these memories. Of course, with the low lows it wasn't nice. So I had that as a formative memory in my mind, going to India and getting on that plane," said Ashley as she recollected the team sentiment ahead of the trip to India.

The Indian girls lost to the United States 0-1 in the tournament opener and never really recovered from the early reverse.

Even as the USA finished second in the eight-team competition, the Indians, who needed to finish amongst the top three to qualify, failed to make the cut. Ashley Hoffman's Olympic dream, however, was on the verge of being realised.

"So leaving that (the 2019 loss) in the past and being fully present in 2024, that was a huge thing for our team in that tournament. I think we did that exceptionally well, which ultimately helped us to qualify," she stated.

The United States finished ninth in the women's hockey competition at the Paris Olympics but Ashley Hoffman states unequivocally that she is "over the moon" for just being fortunate enough to have been part of the event.

"I will take memories from that tournament forever, off the field on the field and also learnings into the next cycle for whoever stays and plays in LA 2028. So I think I am over the moon that we had that experience," Ashley said.

A year after defeating India at the Olympic qualifiers, Ashley Hoffman is back in the country to take part in the Women's Hockey India League where she will represent the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers. Playing in front of the mammoth Indian crowds has been a fun-filled experience for Ashley Hoffman.

"India is unlike any experience I think around the world in terms of fan engagement. So the stadiums are big and they fill them. It's so much fun to play with that background noise, that excitement of the fans," she gushed.

Ashley Hoffman, who will replace Sarah Hawkshaw (initially picked by the Bengal Tigers in the auction) is set to have a "blast" with her American teammate Jennifer Rizzo, who will guard the goal for the Bengal side.

"Jenny and I, we're going to have a blast together. We loved India when we were there in 2023 together. So I'm really excited," said Ashley with her signature smile, which summed up her emotions ahead of the big event.

The Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers begin their Hockey India League campaign against Soorma Hockey Club on January 13.