Wales picked up its second win in a row in the final game of day four at the 2024 World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship, handling Korea, 21-7, at Shek Kip Mei Sports Park.
It was a similar script for Wales as the day before – playing in the last game of the day, Wales absorbed a strong challenge and close game, and then pulled away with a monster second half.
This time, Korea pushed Wales to a 6-6 scoreline just after halftime before Wales flipped a switch and reeled off 15 consecutive goals until the last three minutes of the game.
The draw control was where Wales did its damage, as it enjoyed a 17-2 advantage on restarts in the second half, powered by six wins from Phoebe Jones and Kaitlin Miller each. Miller was named the player of the match for her efforts, and added three goals and an assist for good measure.
The Welsh ball control in general was markedly improved in the second half, where Wales had a 23-5 shot advantage.
Florence Rodgers led the Wales attack with four goals, but six other players had three-point or better efforts in a spread out showing.
Lauren Park scored four goals and won 11 draw controls in another strong effort for Korea. Phoebe Kim added three points and goalkeeper Elena Oh kept Wales at bay with 11 saves in three quarters.
Wales is a win away from the second playoff spot in Pool B, and will grapple with the Haudenosaunee on Tuesday in an exciting showdown. The Haudenosaunee have to face Chinese Taipei on Monday.
Korea has one more matchup in pool play against Canada on Monday.
