The opening day of the 2025 Asia-Pacific Women’s Lacrosse Championship saw four impressive performances with Australia, Japan, Chinese Taipei and the Philippines all claiming statement wins.
Pool play continues through Tuesday and Wednesday, and the top two finishers from each group will advance to the semifinals. Three semifinalists outside of Japan will secure their berths in the 2026 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship, and the three winners on Monday have all put one foot towards qualification.
Making its first-ever appearance in the competition, the Philippines announced itself with a commanding 15-3 victory over China.
The attack was spearheaded by four goals each to Kalens Johnson and Steph Lazo. The Phillippines face Hong Kong, China next.
Chinese Taipei also acquitted itself well in its bid for a first women’s championship appearance by cruising to a 13-4 win over Korea. Yi-Chun Liao and Annika Wray shone brightly, each delivering hat tricks. Eleanor Dorothea Shen added two goals to the tally and earned Player of the Game honors for her all-around stellar performance.
Despite the loss, Korea saw a strong showing from Mackenzie Farley, who scored three of its four goals.
Four-time defending champions Japan began their campaign with an 11-4 victory over New Zealand. In a testament to its depth, eight different players contributed goals, with Mona Yamane leading the way with a hat-trick.
Australia capped off the day with a commanding 16-2 win over Hong Kong, China. Jessica Morrison, Georgia Latch, and Theadora Kwas each recorded hat-tricks in a balanced effort.
For Hong Kong, Michelle Yu and Mya Wang found the back of the net.
All games throughout the championship will be streamed on WL TV. Tuesday’s schedule can be found below, with all times AEST (UTC +10).
10:00 AM: Japan vs Korea
12:30 PM: Australia vs China
3:30 PM: New Zealand vs Chinese Taipei
6:00 PM: Hong Kong, China vs Philippines
