TOWSON, Md. — Italy rebounded Friday on Day 3 of the World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship with a decisive 17-6 win over Sweden after a tight loss to Czech Republic on Day 2.
The Italy offense was powered by the duo of Stephanie Colson and Colleen Owen, who scored eight and seven goals, respectively, in the best output of any two teammates so far. Colson added nine draw controls and leads the tournament with 19.
Ireland held off a second-half Spain comeback for a 10-6 win, a similar rebound after a close match with New Zealand on Thursday. Despite a tournament-high 14 saves from Spain’s Lyndsey Munoz, Ireland powered through with four goals and five draw controls from Cliodhna Kerr. Katrina Dowd added two goals and three assists, and overall, Ireland’s 13-7 draw control edge proved too much to overcome.
Teresa Burguera scored four goals for Spain.
New Zealand improved to 2-0 in Pool D by coasting past Austria 16-3. New Zealand outpaced Austria in shots, 31-11, and draw controls, 17-6. Sarah Butler scored six goals on six shots for New Zealand and now has the most goals by a player without missing a shot in a game this tournament.
New Zealand goalkeeper Sally Rutherford made seven saves on 10 shots faced.
Czech Republic also improved to 2-0 with a comfortable win over Colombia, 20-3. Czech Republic set tournament-highs with 48 shots and 29 ground balls.
It was a three-pronged attack for the Czechs, as Isabelle Martire scored five goals, Markéta Malinovská scored four and Tierney Larson produced four goals and four assists, tying the tournament-high for assists and points in a game. Martire now has the second-most goals in the tournament with 11.
Haudenosaunee earned its first win of the tournament with a 9-6 win over China, which was previously 1-0.
The contest was called due to inclement weather with 7:05 left in the fourth quarter, surpassing the 80-percent (48-minute) threshold needed to call a game.
Jalyn Jimerson and Wynter Jock scored two goals each for the Haudenosaunee. Goalkeeper Paige Crandall made seven crucial saves on 13 shots faced, compared to five saves on 14 shots faced for her counterpart, which helped the Haudenosaunee in a match with narrow margins all around.
Germany won its second game in a row with another stifling defensive performance, limiting Latvia in a 10-2 win. The Germans held Latvia to just 10 shots and recorded a tournament-high 11 caused turnovers. Goalkeepers Luisa Beck and Odile Müller combined for a 75-percent save percentage on eight shots on goal.
Tessa Helf registered a hat trick for Germany, while Jennifer Markey contributed two goals and an assist. Antonia Garbe chipped in with two goals and two assists. Latvia goalkeeper Līga Vilka made six saves on nine shots faced.
Japan continued its strong start to the tournament with a 25-3 win over Argentina, setting the tournament-high for goals scored and winning margin as it improved to 2-0. The offense was spread around with four players registering three or more goals — Kanako Mizuno, Kokora Nakazawa, Mio Takahashi and Maaya Taga.
Japan outshot Argentina 43-8 and won the draw control battle 25-7, setting the tournament-high for draw wins.
Israel captured its second win in as many days with a 16-5 victory over Norway, and it dominated the draw control circle again with a 16-9 advantage.
Zoe Martin compiled five goals, an assists and six draw controls (more on her performance here), and Courtney Miller dished out four assists.
Canada got back on track in Pool A with a 9-5 win over Australia. Dana Dobbie continued her hot shooting with her second straight hat trick on exactly three shots — she’s 6-for-6 so far in Towson.
Canada managed the low scoring game with a 13-5 edge in draw controls, spurred by seven from Kaylin Morissette. Most importantly, Canada won all five in the first quarter and all six in the fourth. The Canadians were also more efficient on their free position shots, going 5-for-8 compared to a 1-for-6 clip for their opponents.
Puerto Rico handled Korea 13-2 to improve to 2-0 in Pool B. Puerto Rico got off 27 shots compared to 12 for Korea, largely in part to a 15-4 split in draw controls.
Skylar Carrasquillo continued her dominance in the circle with nine draw controls for the second straight game — her 18 total ranks second among all players at the championship.
Skylar scored three goals, while her sister Brianna added two, and another pair of sisters both scored in Natalie (two goals) and Maria (one goal) Pansini. Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw added three of her own.
Puerto Rico has been ruthless with its free position shots, and after a 5-for-7 clip against Korea, it leads the tournament with a 77-percent conversion rate.
Wales brushed off a first-half challenge from Jamaica to get its first win, 13-4, in Pool C. Wales led 6-4 after a spirited Jamaican effort at halftime, but a 7-0 scoreline over the last two quarters put the game away.
Sophie Merrill propelled Wales’ offense with five goals and three assists, tying five other athletes for the most points in a game in Towson. Wales’ defense succeeded at limiting Jamaica from shooting and posted a 32-13 advantage in that department.
Jamaica’s Kara-Jade Gordon scored a first-half hat trick in the nations’s first-ever game at the women’s world championship.