COQUITLAM, BC – Timmy Kelly notched a hat-trick, and Michael Sowers, Ryan Conrad and Simon Mathias added two goals apiece to lift the seven-time defending champion United States to a 12-5 win over host Canada in the opening game of the 2016 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Under-19 Men’s Lacrosse World Championships presented by Novus.
Game Photos
Kelly and Conrad, both of Timonium, Md., were solid with timely outside shooting, while Sowers (Dresher, Pa.) and Mathias (Ridgefield, Conn.) were lethal in tight and setting up the offence from behind the net. US goalie Willie Klan (Rochester, NY) made eight saves in the victory.
“For us, it was settling into that first quarter,” said U.S. head coach Nick Myers. “There was a lot of anticipation, but I thought the men did a nice job organizing on offence, making those first few stops between the pipes.”
“It took us a little while at the faceoff X to settle in, but I thought we did in the second half. It’s great to have that first win under your belt.”
Team Canada head coach Taylor Wray said he was disappointed with the team’s slow start, as Canada fell behind 8-1 in the second quarter.
“But I thought we got better after the first half,” Wray said. “We started really slowly, almost playing in slow motion. But we got a little bit better in the last five minutes or so of the first half when we felt like momentum was going our way.”
“We’ve got lots to do, lots to work on,” Wray added. “I think today was not our best performance. I know we can play better than that and we will play better than that. There were just too many dropped balls tonight. And in the FIL game, you have to have possession to be successful.”
The game was played under heavy rain at times and followed the opening ceremonies that featured drumming, dancing and team introductions.
Canada (0-1) got goals from Tanner Cook (Whitby, Ont.), Tre Leclaire (Surrey, B.C.), Ethan Walker (Peterborough, Ont.) and Ben French (Mimico, Ont.) and faces England (0-0) on Saturday July 9 at 7:30 p.m., while the U.S. (1-0) will face Australia (0-0) at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The tournament continues with five games on Friday, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and wrapping up with the Iroquois facing England at 7:30 p.m.
The world juniors of field lacrosse run July 7-16 at Coquitlam Town Centre.
“It’s exciting to be in Canada playing at home,” Wray added.
Single-day tickets are available for $25 for adults and $20 for youth (6-18 years old) at the door. Kids 5 and under receive free admission.
Live streaming packages are available via www.worldlax.tv – $45 for a full tournament package and $10 for daily rate.
Original article on 2016WorldLax.com:
Eight-goal first half propels USA to opening night win over host Canada
Related:
Team USA Cruises Past Canada in FIL U19 World Championship Opener
U.S. U19 Team Opens with Win Over Canada
About the FIL
The Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) is the international governing body for men’s and women’s lacrosse. The FIL currently has 52 member nations and holds five World Championships (women’s and men’s field, women’s and men’s U19 field and men’s indoor.) The FIL is responsible for the governance and integrity of all forms of lacrosse and provides responsive and effective leadership to support the sports’ development throughout the world.
About the Canadian Lacrosse Association
Founded in 1867, the Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA) is the governing body responsible for all aspects of lacrosse in Canada. Our organization is comprised of 10 Member Associations representing nearly 80,000 individual participants, including coaches, officials, and athletes of all ages and abilities. The CLA’s mission is to honour the sport of lacrosse and its unique nation-building heritage, by engaging our members, leading our partners, and providing opportunities for all Canadians to participate. We strive to accomplish this while adhering to our core values of health, excellence, accountability, respect and teamwork. The CLA oversees the delivery of numerous national championships and the participation of Team Canada at all international events sanctioned by the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). The CLA is proud to be affiliated with partners that share the same vision and values, including our corporate partners – Warrior Sports, New Balance Athletics, Westjet, and Baron Rings – as well as our funding partners the Government of Canada, the Coaching Association of Canada, and the Canadian Lacrosse Foundation. For more information on Canadian Lacrosse Association and the sport of lacrosse, visit our website at www.lacrosse.ca and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
