All eight women’s teams began the preliminary round on day five of The World Games 2022 in Birmingham.
Japan, Israel, Canada and the United States all scored convincing wins in the first four games of the women’s tournament that featured 117 goals.
Japan opened the action with a 23-10 win over the Czech Republic, scoring the most goals out of any team in round one. Miho Tomimori turned in one of the performances of the tournament with nine goals and an assist, a single-game high for both the women and men. Negai Nakazawa filled in the scoresheet with another nine points on six goals and three assists. Moyu Takemoto was effective in goal, making six saves on 11 shots.
Anna Lottmann and Michael Srchová both recorded three points for the Czech Republic.
Israel got off the mark with a 17-10 win over the Haudenosaunee, keyed by a 4-1 third quarter to put the game out of reach. Lindsey McKone, Israel’s top points leader at the just-completed women’s world championship, led the offense again with four goals and two assists. Ilana Kofman scored four goals and Rachel Ozer contributed three assists.
Paige Crandall made 15 saves for the Haudenosaunee, while Lois Garlow and Miya Scanlan both contributed four points on offense.
Canada battled with Great Britain in a game tied 9-9 after the third quarter, but a resounding 7-0 run in the final frame led to a 16-9 Canadian win. Erica Evans handled a high volume of the Canadian offense, registering six goals on 14 shots and two assists. Aurora Cordingley tallied three goals and three assists.
Iona Dryden was a perfect 4-4 on shots for Great Britain, while goalkeeper Katie Greenwood made 16 saves, the most on the day.
The United States closed out the day with a 16-6 win over Australia and also enjoyed a dominant final quarter, outscoring the Aussies 7-2. Madison Ahern logged a team-high five points on two goals and three assists, while Kasey Choma, Belle Smith and Caitlyn Wurzburger did their part to balance the offense with four points apiece. Goalkeeper Madison Doucette posted the highest save percentage of the tournament (.667) with 12 saves on 18 shots on goal.
Addie Cunningham totaled 11 saves for Australia.
Competition continues tomorrow with a revised schedule due to inclement weather in the forecast – the quartet of games will start at 8 a.m. CT
The second pair of games features teams that won on day one competing against each other, as Israel takes on Canada for the top spot in Group B before Japan faces the United States to look to take the lead in Group A.
July 12 Results
Czech Republic 10, Japan 23
Haudenosaunee 10, Israel 17
Canada 16, Great Britain 9
United States 16, Australia 6
July 13 Schedule
8 a.m. // Great Britain vs. Haudenosaunee
9:15 a.m. // Australia vs. Czech Republic
10:30 a.m. // Israel vs. Canada
11:45 a.m. // Japan vs. United States
A full schedule, standings and live statistics are available at TWG2022.com/results.
