TOWSON, Maryland, USA – The World Lacrosse Women’s Championship is set to take place here at Towson University, hosted by USA Lacrosse from June 29 to July 9 as 30 teams compete at the highest level of the sport.
More than 500 athletes are set to compete in the largest world championship in World Lacrosse history. The field has increased by five teams since the last women’s championship in 2017.
World Lacrosse President Sue Redfern said: “We couldn’t be more pleased to be celebrating the largest women’s world championship to-date in one of the sport’s strongest regions. We’re expecting a very high level of competition among the best teams from all corners of the globe as they vie for the coveted title of world champion.
“Thank you to USA Lacrosse for their significant efforts in staging this championship, and to Towson University for hosting us on their beautiful campus in the Baltimore metro-area.”
Of the 117 total matches during the championship, 112 will be carried through ESPN networks, with six games airing on linear television in the U.S. on either ESPN2 or ESPNU. The event will represent the first time the World Lacrosse Women’s Championship has linear distribution in the United States, outside of the championship game in 2005.
Competition begins today with a rematch of the 2017 gold medal game as USA takes on Canada at Unitas Stadium at 7 p.m. ET. The contest will be televised on ESPN2 and around the world via the network’s international partners.
The full schedule for the championship can be found here. Information on how to view the championship across the world can be found here.
ESPN’s roster for the women’s championship features 10 experienced broadcasters: Ralph Bednarczyk, Joe Beninati, Glenn Clark, Rachael DeCecco, Tari Kandemiri, Courtney Martinez Connor, Monika Moore, Connor Newcomb, Ben Rosenbaum and Jamie Watson.
Beninati (play by play) and DeCecco (analyst) will call all the games on linear television, while Beninati while be joined by Martinez Connor in the remaining Pool A games, which feature the top five ranked teams at the championship.
Beninati has enjoyed a distinguished broadcasting career and has served as the play-by-play announcer for the Washington Capitals for more than 25 seasons. He has called lacrosse for over 15 seasons at the collegiate and professional levels, and currently does play-by-play for Athletes Unlimited. He has also voiced the NCAA Women’s Division I National Championship game six times.
DeCecco played for USA Lacrosse from 2003 to 2008 and competed in the 2005 Women’s Championship. In college, she was a two-time national champion with Princeton University and a Tewaaraton Award winner in 2003. She was inducted into the USA Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2019.
Martinez Connor represented USA Lacrosse from 2000 to 2006. She was a five-time national champion with the University of Maryland and was named the National Defender of the Year and the Most Valuable Player of the NCAA Championship in 2001.
The United States will be looking to claim its fourth straight title and ninth overall, but first on home soil. This is their third time hosting the event, after claiming the silver medal in 1986 (Philadelphia) and 2005 (Annapolis, Maryland).
Johnny Unitas Stadium at Towson University has hosted notable lacrosse competitions over the years, including U19 men’s and women’s championships in 2003, NCAA Final Fours for women’s lacrosse from 2008 to 2010, and the All-American Lacrosse Game for high school athletes since 2006.
