COQUITLAM, BC – The Iroquois Nationals beat Australia to win their third consecutive bronze medal at the U19 level and England held off a very determined Israel squad to finish in fifth place Saturday at the 2016 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Under-19 Men’s Lacrosse World Championships presented by Novus.
BRONZE MEDAL GAME:
IROQUOIS NATIONALS 20, AUSTRALIA 8 – GAME SHEET
Mitch Laffin led the way for the Iroquois Nationals scoring six goals and adding three assists en route to a 20-8 victory over Australia.
Laffin, Austin Staats (3G, 3A), Tehoka Nanticoke (2G, 1A), Matthew Bennett (2G, 1A), Sekwanee Baker (2G), Doug Jamieson (1G, 1A), Skkylar Thomas (1G, 1A), Devon Buckshot (1G) and Tyson Bomberry (1G) provided the Iroquois scoring. Gordon Purdie Jr (2G, 2A), Mathew Wood (2G, 3A), Jordan Campbell (2G), Brayden Panting (1G, 1A) and Keegan Davies (1G, 1A) provided the Australian offence.
This is the third consecutive bronze medal for the Iroquois at the U19 tournament, with others coming in Finland in 2012 and Coquitlam in 2008. They also won bronze in Australia in 1999.
The Iroquois led 3-2 after the opening quarter before exploding for a 7-2 edge in second to lead by six at the break. Discipline allowed the Crocodiles from down under to creep back into the game – Australia’s powerplay went 4-for-12, with three of extra-man goals coming in the second quarter.
Laffin had his best game of the tournament – but some of that credit needs to be shared as close marking on Staats and Nanticoke opened up the attacker from Onondaga. Jamieson was impressive winning 16 of 26 draws.
The momentum was going in Australia’s favour until Staats and Nanticoke each tallied in the final minute of the half.
Australia finishes in fourth, hitting a goal to move up in the U-19 placings after a fifth-place showing in 2012. Their best-ever placing is second which they achieved in 1992 and 1996.
5TH PLACE GAME:
ENGLAND 10, ISRAEL 7 – GAME SHEET
Austin Hudson scored five goals and older brother William made 11 saves as England came back in the second half to defeat a feisty Israel team 10-7 in the fifth-place game of the 2016 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Under-19 Men’s Lacrosse World Championships presented by Novus on Saturday July 16.
“We weren’t playing to our full potential in the first half,” said Austin Hudson. “We got down kinda early. Going into halftime, Coach (Paul Coups) pulled us together and was basically, ‘you’ve got to play some England Lacrosse’ and we really picked it up in the second half, started playing for each other and we got the result that we wanted.”
Israel jumped out to a 4-2 half-time lead, thanks in large part to great goalkeeping from David Metzger, who finished with 12 saves including several worthy of the highlight reel in the second half, and long-stick midfielder Noah Knopf who scored two first-half goals.
But England stormed back in the second half, on a 5-1 run in the third quarter.
“I think the defence started to loosen up a little bit and, you know, great job with the middies, they were starting to look inside, we got those quick feeds and I was able to find some space and put it away,” Austin Hudson said of the second half adjustments. “Our defence started tightening up, the offence didn’t really feel the scoreboard pressure during the second. We started taking more time on offence and the goals came from sets… We came out and got two or three quick goals and from there we weren’t looking back.”
Other England scoring came from Alex Russell (1G), Elliot Leonard (1G), Tim Collins (1G, 1A), Harry Dyson (1G) and Zach Peng (1G, 1A). James Ready added two assists.
For Israel, Nick Shulkin added three assists, with goals coming from Knopf (2G), Sagi Hashai (2G), Alex Berkowitz (1G), Alon Bechor (1G) and Ilan Hascal (1G). Faceoff specialist Zachary Ornstein went 14-for-17 at the faceoff X.
Both teams battled hard in a physical and intense game.
It was Israel’s first trip to the U19 worlds and they finish in sixth place. England finishes in fifth. And while it may not of have been the performance they wanted, they played their best game at the end.
“It’s always disappointing starting off the way we did,” said Austin Hudson. “(Going) 0-4 is tough, but we fought back and won the games that we needed to. We kept saying, ‘do it for the guys four years from now, give them the opportunity to play in the Blue Division’ and we did ourselves with a win.”
“It’s awesome,” he added of the overall experience. “I know we’re going to go out tonight and celebrate. We’re definitely in a good mood. I’m totally excited.”
2016WorldLax Media Contact:
Andy Watson / andy.watson@2016worldlax.com / 778-679-5667
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About the Canadian Lacrosse Association
Founded in 1867, the Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA) is the governing body responsible for all aspects of lacrosse in Canada. Our organization is comprised of 10 Member Associations representing nearly 80,000 individual participants, including coaches, officials, and athletes of all ages and abilities. The CLA’s mission is to honour the sport of lacrosse and its unique nation-building heritage, by engaging our members, leading our partners, and providing opportunities for all Canadians to participate. We strive to accomplish this while adhering to our core values of health, excellence, accountability, respect and teamwork. The CLA oversees the delivery of numerous national championships and the participation of Team Canada at all international events sanctioned by the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). The CLA is proud to be affiliated with partners that share the same vision and values, including our corporate partners – Warrior Sports, New Balance Athletics, Westjet, and Baron Rings – as well as our funding partners the Government of Canada, the Coaching Association of Canada, and the Canadian Lacrosse Foundation. For more information on Canadian Lacrosse Association and the sport of lacrosse, visit our website at www.lacrosse.ca and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
