England outdueled Jamaica in a captivating 14-11 contest on day one of the 2025 World Lacrosse Men’s U20 Championship in Seogwipo, Korea.
England led by five late in the third quarter but Jamaica punched back to get within two in the fourth.
Jamaica had the ball with a chance to cut it to one in the final four minutes but England recovered possession and held on the rest of the way for a hard-fought win in the blazing afternoon heat.
“Jamaica is a great outfit, but in those last moments where we really needed to push on as a team, we did it,” said England’s Joachim Ruby. “We proved why we’re a good team and we’re a force to reckon with. Jamaica is a really good team and it was a pleasure to play against them.”
In a fierce battle between two top-ten finishers from the last edition of the championship in 2022, England’s finishing was a key difference maker. Jamaica shot 11 for 37 on its attempts compared to England’s superior 14 for 30 shooting line at a 46% clip.
England’s attacking duo of Zak Spreckley and Drew Wilkinson took over in key moments with nine combined goals, with Spreckley’s shiftiness in front of net providing a difficult assignment for Jamaica’s strong defense. Spreckley’s five-goal output is the best through three games in Korea.
In goal, Ruby’s seven saves helped keep Jamaica at bay, with Jackson Davies adding five important stops too.
For Jamaica, Carl Hyman impressed with four goals in the comeback effort, while Elias Shadeed-McLaughlin added three. Jamaica clawed its way to an impressive 19-6 advantage on ground balls.
England improved to 1-0 atop Pool C and faces New Zealand on Sunday. Jamaica will look to bounce back on Saturday against Korea.
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