LIMERICK, Ireland – Six teams remain undefeated after four days of competition at the 2022 World Lacrosse Men’s U21 Championship with five of those teams earning wins on Saturday.
The United States, Japan and Ireland all won games in Pools A through C to stay perfect, and were joined by Wales and Hong Kong, China, which are atop Pools D and E with no losses. Puerto Rico is the only other undefeated team, with a 2-0 record to match Japan in Pool B.
Poland earned its first win of the tournament, rolling to a 17-2 win over Kenya, including a 10-0 run to start the game. Four players recorded hat tricks in a balanced scoring effort: Christopher Crapanzano, Kamil Grabowski, Jared Heller and Jan Śmigiel. Poland’s defense allowed just six shots on goal.
Reagan Ochan scored both goals for Kenya in the team’s debut at the championship.
Wales prevailed over China in a battle of undefeated teams, 10-6, to take the top spot in Pool D. After trailing 4-2 heading into halftime, Wales scored six goals in a row, including three from Aaron Eastwood, who ended the game with four goals. Owine Braddock also finished with four points on two goals and two assists. Midfielder Harry Green Longin won 10 out of 14 face-offs.
Damon Hsu scored four goals for China in defeat.
Japan improved to 2-0 with a convincing 12-2 win over Czech Republic to enter a tie with Puerto Rico for first place in Pool B. Sota Hakozaki and Uta Kaigara each notched a hat trick to score half of Japan’s goals while six other players scored one goal each. Midfielder Yusuku Takeda won seven face-offs and collected a game-high five ground balls.
Hong Kong, China won another battle between 2-0 teams in an 11-5 victory over Netherlands, and now is atop Pool E with a +19 goal differential. Hoi Yun Haydn Cheung spearheaded a balanced attack with three goals and Liam Ferris contributed a goal and two assists. Midfielder Ka Chun Tong won 15 of 18 face-offs and now has a tournament-high 27 face-off wins for a 75% rate.
Host Ireland won its second game in a row in front of a home crowd, holding off Jamaica, 9-5. Aidan Dempsey posted his second game with four or more points with three goals and an assist. Goalkeeper Joe Walsh made eight saves on 13 total shots to help keep Jamaica at bay.
Joshua McLaughlin recorded his second consecutive game with three or more points with two goals and an assist in the loss.
Australia scored the last seven goals of the game to upend England, 8-3, and claim its first win of the tournament. Lucas Koczwara carried the offense with five goals, while Edison Pyke posted two assists. Australia’s defense had its way with England throughout the contest, allowing just nine shots on goal and Jaesaya Bidwell-Barton making six saves.
England’s Daniel Madeley won 10 of 13 face-offs while goalkeeper Samuel Rogerson made 10 saves.
Sweden withstood a tough test from Uganda to get its first win in Limerick, 9-6. Sweden led 7-3 before Uganda cut it to a one-goal game with just over 10 minutes to play. Jonas Hunter was responsible for six points with four goals and two assists. Goalkeeper Anton Berg was strong with 10 saves on 15 shots for his second game with double-digit stops.
Yosef Ngowe tallied two goals and an assist for Uganda.
Germany rebounded from an opening day defeat to best Latvia, 13-2. Felix Kins and Felix Michelfeit both scored hat tricks and Wynton Bastian added two goals and an assist. The German defense was superb, allowing just three shots on goal the entire game.
Latvia goalkeeper Ryan Richters made 16 saves on 29 shots.
The United States coasted to its third consecutive win against the Haudenosaunee by a 13-2 scoreline. Five players scored two goals for the USA, with Brennan O’Neil leading the point total with two assists as well. Alec Stathakis continued his hot stretch on faceoffs, winning 11 of 16.
More information can be found at WorldLacrosse.sport and WorldLax2022.com.
August 13 Results
Kenya 2, Poland 17
China 6, Wales 10
Czech Republic 2, Japan 12
Hong Kong 11, Netherlands 5
Jamaica 5, Ireland 9
Australia 8, England 3
Sweden 9, Uganda 6
Germany 13, Latvia 2
United States 13, Haudenosaunee 2
August 14 Schedule
Times listed in Irish Standard Time. The games at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. will be distributed by ESPN, while the remaining games will be shown on Lax Sports Network.
12 p.m. // Netherlands vs. Uganda, Field 2
1 p.m. // Ireland vs. Latvia, Field 1
2 p.m. // Korea vs. Sweden, Field 3
4 p.m. // Haudenosaunee vs. Australia, Field 1
5 p.m. // Jamaica vs. Germany, Field 3
6 p.m. // Wales vs. Poland, Field 2
7 p.m. // England vs. Canada, Field 1
