England’s men’s box lacrosse team waited all year for its quarterfinals game.
The team drew Pool A in the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships, putting them face-to-face with the likes of Canada, Haudenosaunee and the United States. England knew it would be a difficult few games to begin its tournament journey.
Its quarterfinals game was their big test. Could England repeat its triumph against Czechia like the last European box championships? That was the task for the No. 4 ranked team.
The wait was worth it, as England walked off the field with a 13-8 win over Czechia and a trip to the semifinals against Canada in hand.
“That was the objective we came here for,” Lyndon Bunio said. “Everything we did was to prepare us for this game, and this outcome is what we delivered, so we’re very pleased.”
Playing against the top three men’s teams for most of the tournament, England’s head coach worked to make mini goals for his team to accomplish against the world’s best. This included limiting a team to a certain number of goals per quarter, or preventing any short-handed situations.
“I believe in giving them obtainable goals,” head coach Walt Christianson said. “And so when they come off the floor, they feel good about themselves.”
It’s meant to help keep the energy up and smiles in the locker room. England was facing a juggernaut of physical lacrosse and it was important to Christianson that his team found ways to celebrate their wins.
So in came the mini goals, and a few little things to keep the team smiling.
“That’s what we’ve been doing for a year, mentally preparing for the draw,” Christianson said. “We said we’re going to play these three games, but our whole focus was today, and it feels great.”
Lined up outside England’s locker room are containers of gummy candy, chocolates, Uncrustables and the usual Gatorade and water bottles. The team’s equipment manager stocked up on various treats for pre- and postgame for the team, trainers and coaching staff to indulge.
Some players go for a sugar rush and opt for the candy beforehand and others will wait until after the game. Christianson, however, has Oreos and milk waiting for him.
“It’s awesome,” Christianson said, laughing. “That’s like, top shelf. Not everybody gets that, and it’s great.”
Then comes the music, thanks to the team’s DJ, Elliott Leonard. He’ll play various songs on a speaker both before and after games, but he’d been itching to play Sweet Caroline.
The win must have felt like the right time to finally break it out. Anyone near England’s locker room could easily hear the impromptu sing-a-long that occurred when Leonard hit play.
“He’s been wanting to play that all tournament,” Bunio said. “I’m glad he got the chance to play that now.”
England will face Canada in the semifinals, but is guaranteed to play two more playoff games regardless of the result.
The team had accomplished its big goal. They’ll let the positive energy continue flowing throughout the locker room, and establish a new goal for Friday.
