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Games: Scotland – Chinese Taipei | Australia – Slovakia | Austria – Italy | Finland – Switzerland | Greece – Japan | Hungary – Puerto Rico | Ireland – China | Poland – Germany | Canada – England | Hong Kong, China – Belgium | Mexico – Israel | Jamaica – Czechia
Scotland – Chinese Taipei
Scotland cruised to a 23-9 win over Chinese Taipei in Pool D action in the first game of day two at the men’s box championship in Utica.
Scotland scored the first eight goals of the game in 19 minutes and kept its foot on the pedal from there.
Luke Laskiewicz was too much to handle in the win with five goals and four assists. Jake Gilmour added seven points, followed by five for Chris Cowieson and Thom Gilbrook.
Craig Mcfeeters made 22 saves in the first half on 24 shots for a 92% save percentage for Scotland.
Dennis Jack Burns scored the first goal for Chinese Taipei in its first ever men’s box contest. He finished with four goals while Wei-Tseng Li tallied three goals and three assists.
Australia – Slovakia
Australia outdueled Slovakia in a hard-fought Pool F contest for a 14-11 win.
Australia became the first team to improve to 2-0 in the men’s box championship and planted one foot in the playoffs after its opening day win over Puerto Rico.
The two teams traded blows all game with neither team leading by more than two goals until there was under 10 minutes to play.
Australia’s key four-goal run in the fourth quarter broke the tense contest open, with goals form Brayden Panting, Chris Plumb, Marcus Arambatzis and Matt Wood.
Goalkeeper Colin Jeffrey did his part for Australia with 37 saves, including 13 in the third quarter.
It was a balanced attacking showing from Australia, with five players registering multiple goals, led by Matt Wood with three. Lucas Wood and Jesse Whinnen added three-point outings as well.
Alec Simons powered Slovakia with four goals in the team’s first game of the championship. Denis Englis added two goals and two assists. Lee Jackman made 41 saves.
Slovakia now has work to do to chase a playoff berth with games left against Hungary on Sunday and Puerto Rico on Monday.
Austria – Italy
Austria narrowly knocked off Italy, 11-10, in a heated Pool F battle in the game of the championships so far.
Austria scored the go-ahead goal with under a minute to play with a laser strike from Josh Dawick, one of the NLL stars in the men’s box championship. Dawick capped off a spectacular outing with his seventh goal of the game.
The two teams were on a knife’s edge throughout the match. Austria led by three with under three minutes to go in the first half, but Italy put together a strong third quarter to tie the game at 8-8.
Italy struck first in a back-and-forth final frame to lead 9-8, but Austria pushed for a 10-9 with seven minutes to play. Mitchell Zulian dove in for a dramatic equalizer for Italy with just over three minutes left.
The final minutes were fraught with tension on each possession, and Austria forced a crucial turnover in midfield in the final minute to set up Dawick for his goal. Italy had one last possession but could not connect.
Austria joins the Netherlands in the win column in Pool E, while Italy has ground to make up along with the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Adrian Balasch added four points for Austria, and goalkeepers Patrick Falb and Stephan Lorenz combined for 46 saves with a save percentage over 80 percent.
Zulian led Italy with four points, and Lucas Dudemaine added three points.
Finland – Switzerland
Finland opened its 2024 men’s box campaign with a comfortable 18-2 win over Switzerland.
Finland finished sixth at the last edition of the championship in 2019 and is the first team in Pool B to claim a win.
The Finns jumped to a 6-0 lead behind a blistering start from Robert Raittila, who secured a hat trick by the 19th minute. He finished the day with eight points on five goals and three assists.
Brett Kujala added five goals and two assists while Jarno Aaltonen chipped in with two goals and three assists.
Lauri Uusitalo was outstanding in net, making 34 saves with a 94% save percentage.
Patrick Brunner and Lukas Heri got on the board for Switzerland. Greece and Japan await as further foes in pool play.
Greece – Japan
Japan impressed in its first ever men’s box game with a convincing 16-5 win over Greece in Pool C action.
Japan is tied with Finland atop the pool after both teams won on day two.
Hiroki Kanaya, one of the stars in Japan’s men’s program, led the way with six goals and two assists.
Yura Okumara stepped up on offense with one goal and four assists and Russel Bollinger, a young inclusion on the roster with experience in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League, delivered three goals and an assist.
Goalkeeper Soya Tokumasu performed well with 22 saves on 27 shots faced.
Evan Constantopoulos made 58 saves for Greece. Demetre Crews notched a hat trick in defeat.
Hungary – Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico rebounded from its first match in Pool F to rally past Hungary for a 17-9 win on day two.
Both teams were competing in their first ever men’x box championship, but it was Puerto Rico’s second game after a physical contest against Australia.
Hungary led 6-4 a minute into the second half on a goal from Griffin Bartos.
But Puerto Rico, and Lance Yapor, took over the game with a seven-goal run in 10 minutes of action including a hat trick from Yapor to lead 11-6.
Hungary cut it to three with under nine minutes to play, but Puerto Rico had five different players score in the closing minutes to put a stamp on the game.
Yapor finished with six goals and assist, and Puerto Rico was also bolstered by Will Rivera, who recorded two goals and two assists. Will Ramos added three points.
Puerto Rico’s defense helped the team to a 50-33 shots advantage, and Michael Riomao filled in the gaps with 24 saves.
Peter Gudmundsen and Nathan Twisk both recorded six-point efforts for Hungary in its debut.
Puerto Rico’s final contest in the pool against Slovakia on Monday will have massive playoff implications, and Hungary will have its crack at Slovakia on Sunday followed by Australia on Monday.
Ireland – China
Ireland picked up its second win in two days in Pool G with a 24-4 victory over China.
Ireland is now one step away from the playoffs with a 2-0 record.
Brian Gillis posted one of the best attacking showings of the championship with six goals and six assists. Patrick Corbett amassed four goals and three assists and Conor Foley chipped in six goals and an assist.
Jon McMillan had a strong day in net for Ireland with 34 saves on 38 shots faced.
China made its debut in the men’s box championship and Ben Stewart scored its first goal of the game. Chris Dong finished with three points and goalkeeper Ben Thibault made 32 saves.
Ireland takes on Poland on Monday while China plays Poland on Sunday.
Poland – Germany
Germany earned its first win of the men’s box championship with a 12-8 comeback against Poland in Pool G action.
Poland led 6-3 at halftime behind two goals from Chris Crapanzano. Germany roared back with a six-goal run over the course of the third quarter and early fourth to lead 9-6, with two goals each from Per Olters and Lasse Volquardsen
Poland cut it to one with just over five minutes to play, but Per Olters closed the door with a personal 3-0 run in the final three minutes to seal the win.
Olters finished with five goals and an assist and Volquardsen added a hat trick.
Goalkeeper Julian Laux made 39 saves with an 83% save percentage, including 13 saves in a pivotal fourth quarter.
Tyler Kolodka led Poland in its first-ever game at the men’s box championship with three goals and an assist. Goalkeeper David Zajac made 42 saves.
Poland has two games remaining against Ireland and China. Germany can likely advance to the next round with a win over China in its pool finale on Monday.
Canada – England
Canada opened its 2024 campaign in Utica with a reminder of why it is the team to beat in men’s box lacrosse with a 19-4 win over England.
It was a wire-to-wire dominant performance for Canada with four different players posting three or more goals in Robert Church, Wesley Berg, Tanner Cook and Ryan Smith. Church had a team-high seven points followed by Berg with six. Cook and Smith added five and Jeff Tear chipped in with four assists.
Canada outshot England 57-16.
Jack Royer and Corey Small tallied multi-point outings for England and Cam MacLeod made 37 saves.
England returns to action against the United States on Sunday, while Canada takes on the Haudenosaunee on Sunday.
Hong Kong, China – Belgium
In a battle of two teams making their men’s box championship debuts, Hong Kong, China secured its first win of the championship, 13-5, over Belgium.
Hong Kong opened on a 5-0 run and closed the half strong to lead 8-3 at the break. After a goalless drought in the third quarter, Hong Kong found its scoring touch again with a 4-1 run in the final frame to secure the win.
Carter Li and Corbyn Tao both scored four goals apiece. Jalen Chaster registered a goal and four assists while Wesley Wong added three goals and two assists.
Brandon Lu impressed in goal for Hong Kong with 37 saves on 42 shots faced.
Belgium’s first goal at the men’s box championship came from Kyle Baker, who finished with two. Goalkeeper Branko van den Wildenbergh made 51 saves in a resilient effort, making 10 or more saves in each quarter.
Hong Kong joins Israel at the top of Pool B with a win and will have a momentous test against Mexico on Sunday. Belgium faces Israel on Sunday.
Mexico – Israel
Israel, a two-time top-five finisher in men’s box, returned to the championship with a statement 29-7 win over Mexico.
Mexico scored first within 40 seconds, but Israel showcased its high-flying offense with nine goals in the next 11 minutes of action, keyed by four goals from Parker Pipher.
Israel posted another seven-goal run in the first half and coasted from there.
Pipher finished with nine goals and an assist in one of the best performances of the championship so far. Zach Pall filled up the scoresheet himself with four goals and four assists while Jean-Luc Chetner and Adam Fishman both added seven points.
Joshua Sanchez ended with four goals and an assist for Mexico. Goalkeeper Xavier Guerrero made 39 saves.
Israel and Hong Kong both have a win in Pool B while Mexico trails a game behind with Belgium. Mexico meets Hong Kong on Sunday in an exciting matchup.
Jamaica – Czechia
Czechia flexed its box nous against Jamaica in a 23-4 win to open its 2024 campaign in Utica.
Czechia has finished seventh in the prior two editions of the event and carries one of the most experienced rosters in box in the field.
Jamaica has shown its talented field prowess and boasts some NLL talent, but the Czechs handled the challenge from the outset with exceptional attacking plays across the frontline.
Czechia led 7-1 after the first quarter and kept its foot on the gas to lead 15-2 at halftime.
Five players finished with five or more points for Czechia in the end, led by Tomas Knotek’s three goals and four assists. Jiri Loskot tallied two goals and five assists, and Stepan Friedl recorded five goals and two assists. Pavel Srch and Pavel Dosly added five points each.
Goalkeeper Viktor Blaha finished with 29 saves and an 88% save percentage.
Marcus Minichello scored the first goal for Jamaica at a men’s box championship.
Czechia and Scotland are tied atop Pool D while Chinese Taipei and Jamaica are a game behind. Jamaica will look to rebound right away on Sunday with a massive test against Scotland.
Galleries: SCO-TPE | AUS-SVK | AUT-ITA | FIN-SUI | GRE-JPN | HUN-PUR | IRL-CHN | POL-GER | CAN-ENG | HKG-BEL | MEX-ISR | JAM-CZE
Scotland – Chinese Taipei Gallery
Australia – Slovakia Gallery
Austria – Italy Gallery
Finland – Switzerland Gallery
Greece – Japan Gallery
Hungary – Puerto Rico Gallery
Ireland – China Gallery
Poland – Germany Gallery
Canada – England Gallery
Hong Kong, China – Belgium Gallery
Mexico – Israel Gallery
Jamaica – Czechia Gallery
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