Canada women’s box lacrosse defeated Australia 26-0 today. The Canadians scored on their first possession and never looked back. They scored repeatedly in transition off missed shots and turnovers.
For Canada, today’s 1 p.m. start time meant the game began just 24 hours after its tournament-opening 31-0 victory over Finland. With the short turnaround and it being Australia’s first game of the tournament, head coach Troy Cordingley said the team was more focused on improving on some areas.
“We wanted to work on our pressure D,” he said. “We knew they’re a big, strong, athletic team, and we wanted to take time and space away from them.”
With another game coming just a day after a physical contest, it would be easy for players to be sore once the game begins. Dacia Cordingley said that trainers are always available for treatment at the hotel, including Normatecs, which enhance blood circulation and reduce muscle soreness.
“Our athletic therapists did a really good job recovering us,” she said. “It’s very important to recover our bodies; we always have to be ready to compete and put our best foot forward.”
After two games in roughly 29 hours, Dacia Cordingley said her body was tired. But she added that the pain has some benefits, too.
“It’s a very good mental block for us,” she said. “We’ve always have to be thinking when we’re playing, so it’s a very good opportunity for us to work when we’re tired.”
For the match, Megan Kinna and Erica Evans led the Canadians with five goals apiece, and Harlowe Steele added a hat trick. While up 12-0 at half, Canada pulled starting goalkeeper Kayla Kondo and replaced her with backup Olivia Schmidt.
The Canadians are off tomorrow, which Troy Cordingley called a “blessing.” He acknowledged that this is a short tournament, and that the team’s roster allows them to give the players rest even during games.
“We’ve got some depth where we can afford to rest some girls for games,” he said. “We’re fortunate like that.”
Canada returns to action against Germany at 12:15 p.m. on Monday.
