When the United States women's field hockey team takes the field for the Pan American Games final tonight, there's bound to be at least few members of Team USA with a sense of deja vu.
Standing on the other side of the circle when the championship kicks off at 7:30 p.m. will be an Argentina squad that has faced the Americans in six of the previous seven gold medal contests.
Since the last games in Guadalajara, the rivals have become familiar foes, facing off in both a scrimmage series at Spooky Nook and in qualifying tournaments like the FIH Women's Hockey World League Semifinal in Valencia, Spain.
Argentina enters this meeting as the higher seed yet again, this time ranked third in the world by the International Hockey Federation. The U.S. isn't far behind, however, checking in at number five.
But Team USA and its fans hope the similarities between the most recent Pan Am Games don't end there.
It was at the 2011 games that the Americans stunned Argentina 4-2, to end Las Leonas' string of six straight gold-medal victories. Team USA simultaneously claimed its first-ever Pan Am title while handing Argentina its first loss in the tournament since the sport's inclusion in 1987.
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A bit of history has already been repeated, as the U.S. nabbed its qualifying bid for the 2016 Olympics. While the gold medal winners usually advance, Argentina had already secured its spot by virtue of its finish at the World League Semifinal, meaning Team USA will be making the trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, regardless of the outcome of the Pan Am championship match.
While that may have removed some of the pressure, the Americans haven't lost any motivation to win the final.
"Although we're excited (about qualifying), we're still focused on the Pan American Games and our final against Argentina," said former Penn Manor player Jill Witmer, who is competing in her first Pan Am Games. "Argentina is always a huge rival for us, but we are ready to kick butt."
The rivalry has only intensified in recent years as Team USA has made its climb up the world rankings. Both teams are so evenly matched that they tied three out of the four games they played at Spooky Nook this February. The Americans won the final game 2-0.
Las Leonas got their revenge at the Hockey World League Semifinal last month, knocking out Team USA 3-0. Watch highlights from that game below.
The similarities continue on to the Pan Am Games, where Argentina and the U.S. earned the top two seeds. Neither team has allowed a goal through five games and both teams have their offenses firing on all cylinders.
Team USA has scored 37 goals in the tournament, led by Kelsey Kolojejchick's team-high seven, while Witmer is second with five.
Only one team has scored more — Argentina, which has 41. Former captain and eight-time world Player of the Year Luciana Aymar, who retired after the 2014 season, may no longer be on the field for Las Leonas, but Noel Barrionuevo has provided a spark with 10 goals and Delfina Merino has added six.
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