UVA’s Adele Iacobucci named to the 2021-22 U.S. Women’s National Team

Virginia field hockey junior Adele Iacobucci has been named to the roster 2021-22 U.S. Women’s National Team roster.

Iacobucci (Malvern, Pa.) joins fellow Cavalier graduate student Rachel Robinson (Mount Joy, Pa.) on the roster. Robinson was named to the team in 2020.

Following last week’s evaluation at the Young Women’s National Championship (YWNC), held at the Virginia Beach Regional Training Center in Virginia Beach, U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach Anthony Farry and his staff have named the 36-athlete squad.

“This is the beginning of an exciting new era for the USWNT,” said Farry. “With the support of the field hockey community, we are looking forward to a period of growth that will lead to sustained success on the international stage.”

“We have had a very strong selection process over a three-month period, culminating in assessing about 150 of the best players in the country right now at the Young Women’s National Championship. Whilst we acknowledge the contribution of those that have missed selection, we firmly believe that we are on the right path to prepare us for Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028.”

Iacobucci, an All-Atlantic Region First Team honoree, ranked second on the team in goals (8) and points (17) for the Cavaliers last season, ranking in the top-10 in the conference in both categories. The midfielder was named to the ACC All-Tournament team and was also the ACC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring twice in UVA’s 5-2 victory against James Madison. She also earned a spot on the All-ACC Academic Team and the NFHCA National Academic Squad.

“I am not surprised with the selection,” said Virginia head coach Michele Madison. “Adele had a good tournament and sparked some solid play on both sides of the ball. She showed composure, including scoring the game winner in a shootout in pool play after she got a second-chance when the goalie took her out on her first try.”

Robinson earned her second-straight All-America distinction this season. The defender was a First Team All-ACC and First Team Atlantic Region honoree as well as earning a spot on the All-ACC Academic Team. The recipient of the 2021 Weaver-James-Corrigan ACC Postgraduate Scholarship will return to the UVA in the fall as a graduate student, playing a fifth year for the Cavaliers. She has been a member of the US Women’s National Team since 2020, but it still looking for her first international cap.

Robinson and Iacobucci join Tara Vittese, Carissa Vittese, Michelle Vittese, Paige Selenski, Jessica Coleman, Lori Mastropietro, Michelle Vizzuso and Meredith Thorpe on the list of Cavaliers who have also played with the U.S. senior national team.

The USWNT will resume centralized training at the beginning of August. They will dive into preparation for the 2022 Pan American Cup, an FIH Hockey World Cup qualifier, set for Jan. 20 through Jan. 30 in Santiago, Chile.

The USWNT will also be partaking in the third season of the FIH Hockey Pro League, which begins Oct. 6, but USA will have their first contest on Feb. 16, 2022.