RIO DE JANEIRO — Alesha Widdall, the backup goalie for the United States women’s field hockey team, was getting ready for the team’s final game of Olympic group play, against Britain on Saturday at the Olympic Hockey Center.
Except that Widdall was not suited up in her leg pads, boots and other body armor. She was not sitting on the team bench alongside the rest of the substitutes. Instead, she was wearing a white jacket and black pants and preparing to watch the game from the stands in the company of her parents and many other American fans.