The 2024 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship is set for August 15-24 in Hong Kong, China with 20 teams competing split into four pools. The top two teams from each pool advance to the playoffs.
The full schedule for the championship can be found here.
Pool C: Australia, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Scotland
Pool C has the potential to be the most exciting pool in Hong Kong from match to match, with five teams that all can believe in their hopes of snagging one of the two available playoff spots.
Australia is the defending bronze medalist and one of the most successful teams in the event’s history, with four silver medals and a gold medal in the inaugural championship in 1995 in Haverford, USA.
New Zealand has a strong record as well, with a sixth and fifth place finish in its last two appearances. Scotland finished 11th in 2019 in Peterborough while Mexico finished in 15th. Italy is making its debut in the Women’s U20 Championship.
The results at the women’s senior level reinforce the picture of an extremely competitive pool. Scotland, New Zealand, Mexico and Italy finished within eight spots of each other in at the 2022 Women’s Championship in Towson.
While Italy is the newcomer to the event, its squad gained valuable experience at the 2023 Women’s U21 European Championship in Prague, where it finished seventh with wins over Poland and Spain and a narrow one-goal loss to Germany in the final game.
Italy has a younger roster balanced with players in Italy, England, Canada and the United States. Three players represented the senior team in 2022 in Bella Germani, Michelle Powers and Caterina Vanni d’Archirafi. Germani plays collegiate lacrosse at High Point University.
Michelle Powers and Sienna Laracca also represented the senior team at the Women’s European Championship in July in Braga, where Italy finished in eighth.
Mexico has finished in 15th in its last two appearances in the women’s field lacrosse discipline, and continues to improve its player pool with each year. Goalkeeper Bella McCullough, who starred for Mexico as one of the best in Towson, leads the squad heading to Hong Kong.
Elena Torres plays for Villanova University and Gabby Torres has played for Colorado College is and now committed to University of California – Davis.
Scotland will field a roster with vast lacrosse club experience with a strong contingent players based out of Edinburgh, and a handful of players that represented the team that finished sixth at the 2023 Women’s U20 European Championship. Goalkeeper Rachel Watson made 35 saves.
Scotland participated in the Home Internationals in April and also took a tour of the United States that month to gain more experience before playing a friendly match with England in May.
While the New Zealand squad has played less international matches in the lead-up to Hong Kong, the team has been holding weekend camps nearly every month of 2024 and participated in the Southern Cross Lacrosse Tournament in Melbourne in January.
New Zealand named Holly Harris, Sophia Webb and Sienna Neil as its three captains this week.
Australia was one of the first programs to name its roster for Hong Kong, doing so in January when head coach Meghan Mollison said: “I am confident that we have selected a group of women that will give Australia the best chance to go and chase a gold medal.”
The bar is set high for a team set to showcase the strength of the Australian development pathway, with nearly all players on the team coming through lacrosse clubs. Ocea Leavy is a midfielder who plays overseas at Towson University while Natalie Eastwood, a University of South Florida commit and Missouri’s Harriet Sloane round out the squad as two USA-based players.
Games to Watch
August 15: Mexico vs. Italy, 12 p.m. HKT
The first Pool C game of the championship will pit two up and coming teams with a lot to prove. While the pool is relatively open, both Mexico and Italy need a win from the start to stay in playoff contention. This game has potential for fireworks and drama on opening day.
August 16: Australia vs. New Zealand, 2 p.m. HKT
Fans will be treated to a Hong Kong edition of one of the great rivalries in sports between Australia and New Zealand, neighbors in the Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union with storied histories. While Australia has gold medal expectations and a podium finish in 2019, New Zealand finished in the top-eight that year and will be motivated to pose a challenge,
August 16: Scotland vs. Mexico, 2 p.m. HKT
A pool where every game could prove consequential leads to an afternoon of exciting Pool C double-barrel action. Mexico in its second game with a potential day of momentum against a Scotland team making its debut is another intriguing proposition of ELF vs. PALA foes.
August 20: Scotland vs. New Zealand, 11 a.m. HKT
Regardless of the first five days in action in Hong Kong, this matchup will have crucial playoff implications. It might be for just one of the two teams, but there is also a large enough chance this could be a play-in game for the second play-off spot between two teams with vast training experience together.
