England Men
England men retained their world ranking of 4th after winning their vital quarter final game against European rivals Czechia. The pool A phase was always going to be challenging, alongside the three powerhouse box nations, but England played in a style that earned respect and set themselves up for the big one against Czechia. Following that, all focus was on the Bronze game. With the half-time score only 4-2 to Haudenosaunee, the game plan was working. Head Coach Walt Christianson prepared the team at half-time for Haudenosaunee to hit them with everything they had on the restart, which they did to win the second half 10-3.
Full stats available from World Lacrosse.
Pool A – Canada – Lost 19-4
Pool A – USA – Lost 3-23
Pool A – Haudenosaunee – Lost 18-2
Quarter Final – Czechia – Won 13-8
Semi-Final – Canada – Lost 20-3
Bronze Game – Haudenosaunee – Lost 14-5
Leading Goal Scorer: Jack Royer, 10 goals
Leading Assists: Lyndon Bunio, 7 assists
Goalies: Cam McLeod, 274 saves (76%) – Jacob Brindle, 43 saves (75%)
England Women
The first ever women’s World Championships saw England finish 5th and the highest placed European team. Two wins and two loses during the pool phase included a dramatic overtime win against Netherlands. That clinched progression to the quarter finals to face Australia, a game that turned out to be a heartbreaker. England had a 4 goal lead at half-time (4-8) but the Aussies smashed the 3rd period with a run of 9 goals. The squad bounced back to beat Ireland and set-up a 5th place game against Germany. This time it was England who fought back from being behind, scoring 5 of the final 6 goals to travel home with that winning feeling.
Full stats available from World Lacrosse.
Pool – Hong Kong, China – Won 15-9
Pool – Haudenosaunee – Lost 6-15
Pool – Netherlands – Won 10-11
Pool – USA – Lost 28-2
Quarter Final – Australia – Lost 19-12
5-8th – Ireland – Won 11-6
5th Place Game – Germany – Won 13-14
Leading Goal Scorer – Alex Drewe, 23 goals
Leading Assists – Lucy Ford, 11 assists
Goalies: Lucy Mayers, 192 saves (71%) – Tabitha Podger, 65 saves (74%)
