There’s only a few words to describe what the United States vs. Haudenosaunee men’s semifinal game will look like.
Haudenosaunee head coach Roger Chrysler went for ‘intense’. United States head coach Regy Thorpe said a ‘battle’. CJ Kirst chose ‘inspirational’.
Choose whatever word fits best but after both teams earned dominant wins in the mens’ quarterfinals, the two are going head-to-head for the second time in the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships. This time with a spot in the championship on the line.
“I’m just thinking back on how many games I’ve seen,” Kirst said. “It’s just great to see how many competitions we’ve had, how it’s always been a close game.”
A close game, indeed. During the 2019 men’s box championship in Langley, two goals separated the squads. Haudenosaunee and the U.S. have always been silver and bronze, respectively, going all the way back to 2003.
Prior to pool play on Sep. 20, the United States had never beaten the Haudenosaunee. The Americans did just that to open up the tournament, 16-9.
“We haven’t been able to get past them in the past, but this is a really gritty team,” Thorpe said. “We happened to get them this first time, but this one’s going to be different.”
Now the stakes are higher. The U.S. is trying to end its streak of settling for the bronze medal game and make its first championship appearance, while the Haudenosaunee are poised to challenge for their first gold medal.
“I have a lot of respect for the U.S. team, as far as the team they put together,” Chrysler said. “It’s going to be a great challenge for us.”
Since these two foes have already faced each other once, the players and coaches already know what to expect. There might be some adjustments and a few surprises, but that’s it.
Haudenosaunee is focusing on limiting penalties, and the U.S. knows it has to be the offensive aggressor.
The first pool play game is history by now. It’ll be the same players out there, but with much more on the line. Just 60 minutes separates one of these teams from the championship.
“I think it will be a different product out there tomorrow,” Chrysler said. “It’s just going to be a very entertaining game.”
