Japan halted Puerto Rico and its potent attack for an 8-5 victory in a tightly contested fifth place game at the 2025 World Lacrosse Men’s U20 Championship on Saturday evening on Jeju Island in Korea.
Puerto Rico had amassed 129 goals in six games before its finale, but Japan controlled the game expertly, beginning with face-offs and then defending its early lead.
Japan got out of the gate with a chip on its shoulder, leading 3-1 after two early goals from Kanta Koike. Japan added one more in the second while shutting out Puerto Rico.
Japan even led 6-1 early in the third, but Puerto Rico eventually forced its way back into proceedings, cutting the lead to 7-4 within the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, and then eventually to 7-5.
With the game hanging on a knife’s edge for six minutes, Japan scored the dagger with a minute left on a transition long pole high-bouncing effort from Hirozomi Kondo, his first goal of the championship on his very first shot in seven games.
Japan now has three fifth place finishes in the event, and defended its spot from 2022 against a talented Puerto Rico team that improved two spots from its eighth place finish at its first appearance the last edition.
Japan narrowly outshot Puerto Rico on total shots and shooting percentage, but its possession advantage was keyed by face-off man Kyla Hata, who got the better of Puerto Rico’s strong duo for a 69% winning percentage.
Emblematic of the strong effort was Japan’s ability to limit the Puerto Rico quartet of Nick Testa, Sean Laureano, Lorenzo Varonia and Joseph Rafferty, the attackers with four of the five highest point totals in the tournament. Testa had two goals and Laureano did his part with a goal and three assists but Varona and Rafferty were kept off the scoresheet entirely.
Japan received a boost from Kai Hayami’s three points and the early two-goal outburst from Koike.
Haruto Takai also did his part for Japan with 10 saves on 15 shots faced. Takai finished with 34 saves in six game with a strong 67% save percentage.
Japan had five players finish with 10 or more points in six games, led by Rentaro Okuyama with 18 and then Hirotaka Hattori with 15.
Hata finished with 83 draws won out of 100, good for the best win percentage in the tournament and the second highest total of draws won. Puerto Rico’s two draw men, Chris Testa and Wilfredo Crispin, both finished in the top ten in total draws won with Testa posting an impressive 76% win rate.
Puerto Rico’s attacking quartet set the tournament ablaze with their output in front of net, with Nick Testa amassing 48 points, followed by Laureano with 37, Rafferty with 35 and Varona with 27 in seven games.
Connor Dobson made 36 saves for Puerto Rico overall at a 52% rate.
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