The Netherlands’ women’s lacrosse team stood behind the glass in the top left corner of the rink. The players watched the clock wind down the final seconds of the fourth quarter.
“When we step out on that field, I want all smiles on everyone’s faces!” One player yelled out as the buzzer sounded.
With a deep breath, the Netherlands stepped onto the turf. All of them with elated faces — this moment was theirs for the taking. The United States team ran onto the field from the opposite side just the same.
“This moment encapsulates everything around us,” Netherlands head coach Arttu A. Sesselaar said.
The men’s teams of each country sat behind their respective women’s benches, oftentimes cheering louder than the athletes on the bench. The fans sitting inside the Adirondack Bank Center kept their eyes glued on the turf: History was being made on that field.
“Being the first to ever do it, it’s an honor,” Germany’s Toni Garbe said. “And it was a lot of fun.”
Some games were lopsided while others came down to the wire and even though pool play games determine playoff possibilities, the bigger picture was more important to the coaches and players.
Box lacrosse isn’t just a men’s sport, nor will it ever be again. The 2024 edition of the championships became the first box world championship for women to compete in.
“A lot of the girls thanked me after the game for being a part of history and playing the first women’s box lacrosse game internationally,” Finland’s head coach Joakim Miller said. “I would say that’s very special, regardless of the result of the game.”
Throughout the tournament, there will be firsts along the way: goals, wins, medals to name a few. The leadership title — being the first box lacrosse captain for a women’s team — that’s a first the United States holds onto dearly.
“I think it was the greatest honor to be able to represent this team,” USA captain Emily Hawryschuk said. “But I think with that comes the great responsibility of what this team has set out to do together.”
The first goal of the tournament, scored by Canada’s Katy de Snoo, will go down in the record books. Canada’s win over Finland will go down in the record books. So will Germany’s comeback win over Ireland, and England’s win over Hong Kong and USA’s win over the Netherlands.
“It means a lot,” de Snoo said. “I scored for all the girls that didn’t get the chance to do this before me, and hopefully there’ll be a lot of girls after me.”
There’s another set of games on Saturday, allowing Australia and Haundenosaunee to bask in history as well.
“We had a good look around, especially against the teams that are in the same pool as us,” Australia head coach Chris De Mello said. “It’s going to be some exciting competition, that’s for sure.”
Haudenosaunee’s captain Fawn Porter has played lacrosse her entire life. It’s a sport that’s meant everything, and she’s sharing it with the world over the next 10 days. Porter stood proudly during the opening ceremony, surrounded by her teammates and her competitors, taking in the experience she’s waited so long to have.
“I started out young in the minors league as just a young girl playing lacrosse,” Porter said. “And to see how far it’s come — I’m just so excited to see where it goes from here.”
It’s the culmination of over five years of building teams from the ground up, the hundreds of hours poured into practices and travel. The United States and Canada had tryouts for their box lacrosse rosters, but for other teams like Hong Kong or the Netherlands, some of their athletes helped create the team themselves.
“This is very special opportunity for them,” Hong Kong coach Kelvin Mak said. “They aren’t very used to the box game yet still, so it’s a great experience for them to see the high caliber of lacrosse at this level.”
The game is so new for these women, who are all setting a new precedent.
“A large part of what Ireland lacrosse is about is growing the game in Ireland,” said Ireland captain Julia Ruscio said. “Something we’re very passionate about is women’s sports and I’m very excited to see what will come after this as well.”
Over 1,000 athletes stood together on the floor Saturday evening, waving their country’s flag proudly and cheering for their competitors.
Arm and arm with nations across the globe, these athletes accomplished their goal.
“We’re just trying to take it all in and really be in the moment,” England’s captain Annabelle Akintoye said. “There’s so many things to know about, but we’re just trying to enjoy our time here.”
Now, the rest of the world can watch them play for gold.
