Ahead of the 2025 World Lacrosse Men’s U20 Championship in Jeju, Korea, in August, World Lacrosse is highlighting classic matchups from past junior championships.
The 2022 World Lacrosse Men’s U21 Championship marked a significant milestone for both the Netherlands and China. The Netherlands competed in the event for the first time while China returned after a historic ninth-place finish in 2016, its best at the men’s junior level.
Heading into the tournament, the two teams were placed in separate pools but both impressed in pool play. The Netherlands finished 3-1 with wins over Uganda, Sweden and South Korea. China also went 3-1, defeating Poland, Kenya and Chinese Taipei.
With strong starts, both teams earned a place in the Platinum Play-In bracket, where they collided in the quarterfinals in a back-and-forth battle that turned into one of Limerick’s memorable contest.
The Netherlands struck first just 41 seconds into the game, but China responded with four unanswered goals, two of them from Damon Hsu. Trailing early, the Netherlands rallied behind Jurre Kalff, who scored twice within a 73-second window to ignite a 6-1 run to close the half.
China, down by two at halftime, opened the second half with a three-goal run to reclaim the lead. With time dwindling in the final 20 minutes, Christian Del Rocco took over.
Del Rocco had a hand in five of the Netherlands’ six goals to close the contest, including three goals and two assists during the decisive 6-3 stretch that sealed the 13-11 victory. Del Rocco finished with a game-high seven points, including 3 goals and 4 assists.
Despite the loss, China had standout performances across the board. Keegan Hughes dominated the faceoff, going 19-for-25 (76%) and adding two goals. Damon and Dylan Hsu led the offense with a combined seven goals and one assist.
Kalff added a hat trick for the Netherlands, and Luke MacDonald tallied four goals and two assists.
Del Rocco’s performance was the centerpiece of the Netherlands’ run. He led all players in both points (38) and goals (25) at the 2022 championship and earned a spot on the President’s Team.
In 2025, China is set to compete in Pool D and will open the tournament on Aug. 15 against Mexico. The Netherlands will compete in Pool B and close out opening day with a matchup against Japan.
