Box Score Notes and Galleries: HAU-JAM | USA-CAN
Canada toppled the United States with a four-goal fourth-quarter comeback to claim the gold medal with a 9-8 win at the 2026 Pan-American Men’s Lacrosse Championship in Kingston, Jamaica on Sunday.
Down 8-5 entering the final frame, Canada tied the game with 90 seconds to go and won the ensuing face-off. Alex Simmons soared for the game-winner with 20 seconds to play on an acrobatic shot fake and dive. Simmons scored both the game-tying and game-winning goal for his fourth and fifth points of the game in one of the best performances of the year in international lacrosse.
Canada has now defeated the United States twice in a row in men’s field dating back to October of 2023, and claimed the first-ever Pan-American Men’s Lacrosse Championship. The win sets the stage for another epic chapter in the rivalry between the top two teams in the world at the 2027 WL Men’s Championship, when the Americans will be back-to-back defending champions.
The Haudenosaunee claimed the bronze medal earlier on Sunday over the host Jamaica in a 16-9 win. Jamaica erased a hot start from the Haudenosaunee and the game was tied 8-8 just after halftime, but the defending bronze medalists at the WL Men’s Championship turned on the afterburners to coast to the win.
The 2026 Pan-American Men’s Lacrosse Championship concluded after seven days, with Puerto Rico joining the four medal round participants as the five teams advancing to the WL Men’s Championship in Japan in June of 2027. The remaining four teams in the championship all are eligible to compete in the 2027 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship Division II, set for July in Wroclaw, Poland.
Final Standings
- Canada
- United States
- Haudenosaunee
- Jamaica
- Puerto Rico
- Mexico
- Colombia
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Argentina
Haudenosaunee
16
Jamaica
9
In a game when Jamaica held a narrow face-off advantage and kept pace through 32 minutes of actions, the Haudenosaunee cast of star attackers finally found their spots in the second half to make a difference.
Koleton Marquis, Winter Rivera and Gregory Elijah-Brown combined for 12 points, and accounted for five second half goals to spark the Haudenosaunee. The three players finished in the top five in total points throughout the championship with 21 for Elijah-Brown, 20 for Marquis and 19 for Rivera.
Saka Thomson and Jack VanValkenburgh both finished with a save percentage of 50%, with VanValkenburgh making six second half saves to keep any Jamaica comeback hopes at bay. VanValkenburgh ended the championship as the goalkeeper with the best save percentage at 78%.
Hayden Hiltz scored four for Jamaica in defeat, and finished as Jamaica’s points leader with 11 goals in four games.
Nate McPeak made nine saves, and was a key figure in Jamaica’s campaign with 54 saves at a 57% save percentage.
Gallery
United States
8
Canada
9
Alex Simmons’ star performance fueled Canada to its dramatic comeback win with four goals and an assist. Canada also received a strong outing from Jack Oldman, who turned in a 13 of 20 line on face-offs and secured the most decisive restart of the game with 90 seconds to go.
Canada finished the championship with the best team face-off win percentage at 72%, in large part due to Oldman’s 74% win rate, the best of any player with more than 10 face-offs.
Chase Strychaluk played his part in goal for Canada with six saves all in the second half on nine shots faced, as the American attack was held scoreless for the final 18 minutes of the game.
Thomas McConvey chipped in three points to help Canada, who had to find reliable scoring outside of Owen Hiltz and Finn Thomson, two of its most prolific attackers throughout the championship. Thomson notched an assist and finished the week with the most points of any player in Kingston with 26 on 19 goals and seven assists in five games. Simmons had the second most points with 22 on 11 goals and 11 assists.
Josh Yago nearly powered the United States to the finish line, with three goals and an assist in the contest. Evan Plunkett was the only other American to record a two-goal outing.
Goalkeeper Anderson Moore was outstanding in defeat, making 15 saves at a 63% clip, including five in the fourth quarter to nearly stave off Canada’s comeback. Moore finished the week with a 70% save percentage through three games.
Eric Law and Chad Palumbo finished as the United States’ top attackers with 15 and 14 points. Luke Weirman and Andrew McMeekin split face-off duties throughout the championship and finished second and fourth in win percentage among players with more than 10 face-offs.
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