Ireland Lacrosse has enjoyed a strong run in the last year, with its men’s team finishing seventh at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships and it’s women’s sixes team qualifying for the The World Games 2025 by winning a European qualifier in March.
Ireland’s women’s U20 team was a key part of that banner year with a top ten finish at the 2024 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship, in Hong Kong, China with team that featured a handful of players that starred at the European Women’s Sixes Qualifier in Portugal in 2025. The tenth-place finish marked an improvement of nine spots since the last edition of the event in 2019 and Ireland’s best finish in a World Lacrosse women’s championship since 2013.
The European sixes team won three consecutive nail-biters, including two overtime wins, to claim its title in Portgua;, but the Ireland women’s dramatic exploits first featured in Hong Kong in one of the games of the championship:
Ireland and Mexico met on the first day of placement play to vie for a top-ten finish with two high-flying attacks and delivered one of the best games of the event
Mexico led the game 8-3 in the second quarter before Ireland stormed back in quick succession after halftime to cut the lead to 10-9.
The rollercoaster fourth quarter opened with Ireland tying the game and then taking a two goal lead, before Mexico tied the game back up with just over three minutes to play.
Ireland had the last say on the final possession of the game, with Kendra Harris setting up Ava Connaughton for a dramatic point-blank finish. Ireland scored eight of the last 11 goals of the game to cap off its comeback.
Connaughton’s seven-goal, one-assist, game-winning Herculean effort stole the headlines, but Ireland’s cast of attackers all stepped up. Bridget Valentine scored two goals and made four assists, including three in the second half and was named the player of the match. Harris finished with two goals and one assist and Brigid Welch added two goals.
Caroline Watts won eight draw controls and Quilty made eight saves, including two momentous stops in the fourth quarter.
Elena Torres starred for Mexico with five goals and an assist, and five draw control wins herself. Lola Aguirre added four goals and an 11 draw control wins.
