TOWSON, Md. – The penultimate day of action at the 2022 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship saw 20 teams determine their final placement and two teams in the championship consolation bracket advance to the fifth-place game.
Day ten featured some of the most competitive games at the tournament, with six games being decided by two goals or less, three games going to overtime and two of those games finishing in double overtime.
Only four out of 110 total games remain at the championship for the 11th and final day of competition on Saturday. Japan and Israel will both compete for fifth place and a best-ever finish in their history after wins against the Haudenosaunee and the Czech Republic, who will contest the seventh-place match.
England will take on Australia in the bronze medal match, a rematch of the same game in 2017 at 9:30 a.m. on ESPNU. Then the United States will take on Canada in the gold medal game on ESPN2 in a similar rematch of the 2017 finale. The United States is looking for a fourth consecutive world championship and first ever on home soil.
THREE HEADLINES
Japan improved to 6-1 overall by besting the Haudenosaunee for the second time in Towson, 12-6. Japan will have to chance to tie its best finish at a women's championship, a fifth-place result in 2005. Maaya Taga, Maya Fuji and Kanako Mizuno all scored twice for Japan, while Taga and Fuji both added two assists.
Israel held on for a thrilling 11-10 win over Czech Republic to advance to the fifth-place game. Israel's previous best finish was sixth place in 2017. Lindsey McKone turned in another inspired effort with four goals, three assists, three ground balls and a draw control. She is tied for third in points in the tournament with 33.
The Netherlands defeated Italy 9-7 to win their third game in a row and claim the platinum bracket, good for 17th place. Dieke Spitzen was responsible for four points with two goals and two assists, and Janneke Bokkes added two goals.
THREE MORE STARS
Isabel Szejk scored six goals to finish her time in Towson at second place on the goals leaderboard with 26. Mexico defeated Hong Kong, China, 15-11, in the 15th-place match.
Shannon Brazier finished her outstanding tournament with four goals, an assist, and 12 draw controls in a 11-6 win for China over Latvia. She ranks first in draw controls, third in points, and in the top ten in goals and assists.
Katrina Dowd provided the heroics yet again for Ireland with a sudden-victory goal in double overtime, her second walk-off winner of the tournament, to defeat Germany 8-7. It completed her hat trick to go along with an assist, capping off another memorable championship where she finished with 36 points, the second-most among all athletes.
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
The bronze medal match will be carried on ESPNU and the gold medal match will be carried on ESPN2. The other two matches will be on ESPN+.
Seventh Place
9 a.m. – Haudenosaunee vs. Czech Republic
Fifth Place
9:30 a.m. – Japan vs. Israel
Bronze Medal Match
9:30 a.m. – England vs. Australia
Gold Medal Match
12 p.m. – United States vs. Canada