Brooke Griffin (Maryland ’15) scored four goals and Alyssa Murray (Syracuse ’14) added three goals and four assists to lead the United States to a 14-6 victory over Great Britain to start the second day of lacrosse preliminaries at The World Games in Wroclaw, Poland.
The U.S. (2-0) clinched the No. 1 seed and advanced to Saturday’s semifinals, a rematch with No. 4 Great Britain (1-1) at 4 a.m. Eastern. The game will be streamed live on the Olympic Channel. The 7 a.m. Eastern semifinal between No. 2 Canada (2-0) and No. 3 Australia (1-1) also will be streamed, but on a delayed basis Sunday at 1 a.m. Eastern.
Great Britain (1-1), featuring players from constituent nations England, Scotland and Wales, gave the U.S. a good fight Friday. Emily Gray scored twice in the first six minutes and Olivia Wimpenny tied it at 3 with 20:05 remaining in the first half.
But the U.S. responded with three straight goals to jumpstart a 7-1 run spanning the first and second halves to pull away. The full-field ride was in full effect, forcing Great Britain into 33 turnovers while limiting it to just 10 shots on goal.
Gray kept Great Britain competitive in the center circle, winning five draws to go with two goals and an assist. The U.S. went 13-for-22 on draws, led by the tandem of Taylor Cummings (Maryland ’16) and Ally Carey (Vanderbilt ’12). Cummings added two goals to go with her team-high four draw controls.
Kelly Rabil (James Madison ’07) also had a hat trick for the U.S., which outshot Great Britain 37-10.
Great Britain goalie Emilie Chandler made 12 saves in the loss.
The World Games are an international multi-sport event meant for sports that are not contested in the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee works closely with International World Games Association to observe and identify sports with Olympic prospects. The Federation of International Lacrosse has applied for provisional recognition by the IOC.
U.S. Goals: Brooke Griffin 4, Alyssa Murray 3, Kelly Rabil 3, Taylor Cummings 2, Kristen Carr 1, Michelle Tumolo 1.
U.S. Assists: Alyssa Murray 4, Katie Schwarzmann 1, Ally Carey 1.
U.S. Goaltending: Gussie Johns (2 saves, 6 GA, 70 mins)
Great Britain Goals: Emily Gray 2, Katherine Anna Lehovsky 1, Olivia Wimpenny 1, Claire Faram 1, Iona Dryden 1.
Great Britain Assists: Laura Warren 1, Emily Gray 1, Alisa Stott 1, Sophie Morrill 1.
Great Britain Goaltending: Emilie Chandler (12 saves, 14 GA, 70 mins)
The World Games Update
Today’s Scores
Friday, July 28
United States 14, Great Britain 6
Australia 23, Poland 0
Canada 18, Japan 5
Upcoming Games
Saturday, July 29
No. 1 United States vs. No. 4 Great Britain, 10 a.m. (4 a.m. Eastern)
No. 2 Canada vs. No. 3 Australia, 1 p.m. (7 a.m. Eastern)