The Ventura County Red Devils, a junior high performance training team, battled Massey High of Auckland, New Zealand, in a five game-series over a two-week period at the Moorpark College complex.

The Red Devils are juniors seeking to make the national team and play for a national championship in June in San Diego. Massey was playing games in the United States and Canada.

New Zealand sent teams in rugby, netball and girls' field hockey to play games in San Diego.

Angie Bennell, the boys' field hockey team manager, said it was great to play here for the first time.

Massey split games against St. George College in Vancouver, British Columbia, defeating the B team, 5-2 and losing to the A team, 2-1. The boys played on grass in Toronto and fell 3-2.

Sanjay Smith scored four goals to lead Massey to a 4-1 victory over the Red Devils on Friday evening in Moorpark. Johnny Orozco scored for the Red Devils with 5:19 left in the first half to make it a 1-1 deadlock.

On Thursday, Massey earned a 3-2 win after the Red Devils earned wins over the New Zealand team, 6-4, on April 13, and a 2-1 win on April 14.

In the series finale on Saturday, New Zealand scored a 3-1 win to capture the series, 3-2.

Josh Miles, Smith and Jordan Thomas have been the leading players for the 14-man Massey team. Dave Green is the coach and Thomas is the team captain. Massey also visited New York and Miami, defeating the PinkFlamingos women's open team, 2-1.

The Red Devils will play in the 37th annual California Cup Field Hockey Tournament in Moorpark over Memorial Day Weekend. The tournament has attracted 142 teams, an increase of eight teams from 2007.

The Moorpark Spring Youth and Adult Field Hockey League teams are in the playoffs this weekend and May 11-12 on the college fields.

The Red Devils started training with 34 players and have dropped five players for a 29-man roster. Coaches Mike Whitehead and Ben Maruquin must select the 16 best players to compete for a national championship.

Camarillo's Will Holt, 18, is one of the standouts for Red Devils. The juniors are also preparing for the World Cup Qualifier in October at Trinidad and Tobago.

Holt is also training with the women's Olympic team in Chula Vista. Holt attends Rio Mesa High, but is enrolled in independent studies and does his schoolwork at a community college near the Olympic Training Center.

Kevin Barber and Ryan Sundeen, two other local standouts, also train with the women's squad.

Holt's dad, Andrew, said his son was introduced to field hockey in sixth grade at Bedford Open School in Camarillo.

Holt competed in basketball, cross country and track and field for Rio Mesa.

"He gave it all up for field hockey," said Andrew.

"He has committed to the field hockey program for the next four years."

The United States is making a push to find the talent to earn a berth in the 2012 Olympics in London. The players are hoping to make a run in 2016 and the Americans would like to see the Olympics be awarded to Chicago.

Tom Harris, one of the founders of the Cal Cup, was on hand to watch Friday's match.

"Ben has done a good job with the program," said Harris, who still plays on Sundays and in the Cal Cup.

Harris said he started playing on the Buena High field in 1969, but said the youth soccer movement took away field hockey fields and the players would move on to the Moorpark College campus.

"Ben has three or four international players, but we don't have the overall numbers," said Harris.

Maruquin was an Olympian in field hockey in 1996 in Atlanta.

David Harris of Atascadero, a brother of Tom, was one of the umpires in Friday's match along with Dave Jackson of Moorpark.

Maruquin is promoting field hockey and wants to visit elementary schools in Ventura County to introduce boys and girls to the sport.

Sessions will run to six weeks.

Schools must have a facility to play field hockey and Maruquin will instruct 30 players.

Information: Maruquin at 798-4758.