The 21-year-old former Riverside High and Launceston College student is studying a double degree in forensic science and criminology at Deakin University in Geelong and made the Victorian Country women’s team which competed at a national tournament in Wollongong earlier this year. ‘‘From the Australian Country championships we played in they select an open and under-21 Australian women’s team,’’ Pearson said.

‘‘We are going to Fiji next Thursday for two weeks and we will play in two tournaments while we are over there – a five-a-side tournament and the Rewa Cup which is on.

‘‘We’ve got the President’s XI teams from New Zealand and Fiji taking part and the Fiji under-21 side taking part.’’

A midfield-defender, Pearson said playing in Victoria had improved her hockey.

‘‘I have played in our Geelong rep team for the last three years and we’ve done pretty well and it is a great group of girls to play with and the competition is very strong,’’ she said.

‘‘I think it has done a lot for progressing my hockey which is shown by my selection in this Australian under-21 team.

‘‘There are just so many more people to choose from and it is much more competitive to make teams over there just with the population.’’

Pearson said her university studies and Country hockey commitments prevented her from playing with the Tasmanian Van Demons women’s team in the AHL.

‘‘I hope to to go away and have a really good tournament in Fiji and next year hopefully make the Australian opens team which would be awesome.

‘‘I am also umpiring nationally and obtained my Australian badge this year, which means I can umpire at AHL next year or the year after and hopefully that leads to bigger and better things.

‘‘I would love to make a world panel one day to umpire at an Olympics or Commonwealth Games.’’