LIMERICK, Ireland – Day two at the 2022 World Lacrosse Men’s U21 Championship in Ireland featured 14 teams in action, with Puerto Rico and Jamaica claiming statement wins in their debut appearances in this event, and China and the U.S. following suit with decisive victories.
The United States became the first team to improve to 2-0 and climbed to the top of Pool A, which includes the championship’s top five teams.
Jamaica started the action with a 14-0 win against Latvia, marking the first shutout of the tournament. The Jamaican defense limited its opponents to just three shots on goal, while Joshua McLaughlin posted a tournament-high eight points on six goals and two assists. Defender Owen Stephenson picked up a tournament-high eight ground balls in the convincing victory.
The Netherlands came out ahead in the closest game of the tournament so far with a 10-9 win over Sweden after Marc Smorenburg scored the game-winning goal with 22 seconds to play. The match featured six lead changes, with the final goal coming after Sweden erased a two-goal deficit in the fourth quarter. Christian Della Rocco totaled two goals and four assists for the Netherlands, while Luke MacDonald added three goals and an assist.
Irving Rubin scored three goals for Sweden and goalkeeper Anton Berg made 14 saves.
Puerto Rico then took down Israel – which finished sixth at the last junior-level men’s championship in 2016 – by a 11-3 score. Jaden Algarin backstopped an impressive defensive effort, making 10 saves on just 11 shots allowed, while four players scored two goals each for Puerto Rico: Brandon Aviles, Joshua Balcarcel, Christian Laureano and Sean Laureano.
China bested Chinese Taipei with an impressive 10-1 victory, keyed by outstanding performances from Keegan Hughes and Dylan Hsu. Hughes scored five goals while Hsu notched six points on three goals and three assists. Goalkeeper Haoxuan Cui made seven saves on eight shots faced and midfielder Matthew Wang won 10 face-offs.
The United States followed up yesterday’s win over Canada with a 17-3 rout of England to take the top spot in Pool A. Graham Bundy, Jr. exploded for six goals and an assist for the second-highest single-game point total in Limerick. Patrick Kavanagh contributed six points of his own on three goals and three assists, and Alec Stathakis was dominant on face-offs, winning 19 of 23.
Hong Kong, China coasted by Korea, 11-4, backed by a 7-0 run in the second and third quarters. Hing Yui Tsangled the offense with four goals and two assists, and Carter Li tallied three goals and an assist. Ka Chun Tong won nine of his 11 face-offs.
Canada rebounded from its day one defeat by coasting past Australia, 18-3, to close out the day. Brock Haleyspurred the offense with seven points on four goals and three assists, with Owen Hiltz adding five points (2-3—5).
Australia goalkeeper Jaesaya Bidwell-Barton made 10 saves in defeat.
Friday features a six-game slate with five teams making their tournament debut: Wales, Uganda, Poland, Japan and the Czech Republic.
August 11 Results
Latvia 0, Jamaica 14
Netherlands 10, Sweden 9
Israel 3, Puerto Rico 11
Wales 1, Kenya 0*
China 10, Chinese Taipei 1
England 3, United States 17
Hong Kong, China 11, Korea 4
Canada 18, Australia 3
*Due to travel delays, Kenya forfeited its first game to Wales, 1-0. The team is expected to arrive in time to compete in the remainder of the championship.
August 12 Schedule
Times listed in Irish Standard Time. All games will be shown on Lax Sports Network.
10 a.m. // Chinese Taipei vs. Wales, Field 3
11 a.m. // Uganda vs. Hong Kong, China, Field 2
1 p.m. // Poland vs. China, Field 3
2 p.m. // Korea vs. Netherlands, Field 2
4 p.m. // Japan vs. Israel, Field 3
5 p.m. // Puerto Rico vs. Czech Republic, Field 2
