TOWSON, Md. — Switzerland’s Kristy Grovom might be San Diego-born and NCAA-trained, but she hardly qualifies as an American ringer. No, she’s as Swiss as chocolate and cheese.
Grovom scored four goals, including the game-winner in overtime, as Switzerland defeated Argentina 8-7 in a World Lacrosse Women’s Championship Pool E match Saturday. The Swiss (1-1) are tied for second place in the pool with their opponent Sunday, the Haudeonsaunee Nation.
The daughter of a former minor league baseball player and Swiss-born flight attendant, Grovom gained an appreciation early in life for the virtues of sport and travel. She moved to the East Coast to play college lacrosse at Washington College on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. In 65 career games, the 5-foot-11 attacker scored 116 goals and pulled down 117 draw controls.
“I thought my lacrosse career was over. Then I found Zurich Lacrosse,” Grovom said. “There I developed an even greater passion for lacrosse, developing better stick skills for European lacrosse. I got a chance to try out for the national team and the girls are just so great. I just fell in love with the team and what Swiss Lacrosse stands for. I am Swiss as well. I love Switzerland.”
During college, Grovom traveled to Bermuda, Belize, Guatemala and Tanzania as a Nourish International ventures director. But she always made time to visit her grandparents in Switzerland each summer and now she lives in Zurich. She has studied German for the last nine months to better assimilate to her new home.
“I grew up in California and played lacrosse in Maryland, and yeah, I decided to take it across the Atlantic and continue the lacrosse journey,” Grovom said.
But there’s more to accomplish in Towson. Making its second world championship appearance, Switzerland hopes to improve on its No. 19 world ranking.
Trailing 4-1 early against Argentina — one of four teams making its world championship debut here — the Swiss clawed their way back into the game.
Grovom scored twice in the fourth quarter, putting Switzerland ahead by a goal with each tally. She converted a Stefi Burger feed in front to give the Swiss a 7-6 lead with 1:17 remaining.
But Argentina earned multiple free-position opportunities in the last minute, and Mechi O’Neil (four goals) buried an 11-meter with 17 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
Burger won the draw to start overtime. Anouk Andres (three goals, one assist) passed out of a free position to Grovom, who came curling around the goal and beat goalie Alex de Jesus for the game-winning goal.
Grovom’s teammates mobbed her to celebrate on the field.
“Our cheer is ‘samma,’ which means together,” Grovom said. “I think that embodies what Swiss lacrosse is.”
ISRAEL DEFEATS PUERTO RICO
With tons of NCAA talent on the field, Israel pulled away late from Puerto Rico to remain unbeaten in pool play.
Trailing 6-2, Israel scored seven of the next eight goals to take the lead in the third quarter.
Puerto Rico rallied late, scoring two goals in 82 seconds to pull within 12-11. But Israel iced the game on Julia Rowand’s goal with 1:26 remaining.
Lindsey McKone (Northwestern) scored on a free position with 12 seconds left for the final margin. McKone finished with four goals, three assists and six draw controls. Dani Jacobstein (Stanford) also scored four goals for Israel.
Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw (Duquesne) led Puerto Rico with four goals and three assists in the losing cause. Bri Carrasquillo (Yale) added three goals and three draw controls.
NOTABLE
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Japan started off Day 4 with a 19-1 win over China, becoming the first team to reach 3-0. Japan is tied with the U.S. for the fewest goals allowed in a game with one, and Japan now has the third lowest goals-against-average at the tournament. Kokora Nakazawa led Japan’s offense with five goals and two assists, while Chisa Kobayashi added three assists. Overall, Japan ranks second in the field with 9.3 assists per game.
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Hong Kong, China returned to action after a day off Friday with a dominant 15-2 win over Austria to improve to 2-0 and take the lead in Pool D. Hong Kong has allowed just three goals in two games to stake a claim for the best scoring defense in Towson. Hong Kong won the draw control battle 18-3, led by six from Charlotte Hartley. Wing Yi Lam paced the offense with four goals and two assists, while Mya Wang and Steffi Sze each recorded three-goal efforts.
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The Netherlands picked up its first win of the tournament by outlasting Norway 7-4 to move to 1-1. Goalkeeper Amarins Brandsma played 45 minutes and made five saves on seven shots on goal in a tightly contested game. Sarah Sweerts de Landas Wyborgh led the offense for the Netherlands with three goals on three shots. Norway’s goalkeeper, Kine Ødegård, made six saves in defeat.
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Mexico came back from a fourth-quarter deficit to stun Italy 8-5. Mexico stayed undefeated with a 2-0 record and vaulted into second place in Pool F. The top two teams from Pools B through F earn a berth in the championship bracket to decide the top 16 finishers, while only one third-place team from those pools receives a spot in the championship bracket. Goalkeeper Isabella McCullough played a crucial role in her 30 minutes, making eight saves on nine shots on goal. Her save percentage of 82 percent ranks second among all goalkeepers in Towson. Mexico’s offense was led by Daniela Eppler Lobato with three goals and Isabela Szejk, who tallied two goals and an assist. Stephanie Colson scored four of Italy’s five goals and remains the top goal scorer in Towson with 14.
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Latvia picked up its first win of the tournament with a 9-5 victory over Jamaica, keyed by a 22-12 ground ball advantage. Four players each scored two goals in a balanced effort: Ieva Zeiļuka, Estere Urbančika, Laura Liepiņa and Laura Baltmane. Latvia is now tied on record in Pool C with Wales and will face Wales in its final pool play game on Monday.
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Sweden picked up its first win of the tournament with a 9-4 decision over Colombia. Goalkeeper Amanda Eriksson played her part in limiting Colombia’s offense with seven saves on 11 shots. Eight different players got on the score sheet for Sweden, as they outshot Colombia 31-13. Sweden collected 28 ground balls, the second-most in a game so far.
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England stayed unbeaten with an 18-7 win over Scotland that was called due to inclement weather with 9:27 left in the fourth quarter. England outshot the Scots 26-9 in a dominant two-way effort. They ended the night with a top-10 scoring offense (15.0) and scoring defense (5.5). Olivia Hompe scored five goals, and Torz Anderson and Megan Whittle each added a hat trick.
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New Zealand cruised to a 10-1 win over Spain to improve to 3-0. The game was called due to inclement weather with 10:30 left in the fourth quarter. Eight players scored for New Zealand, led by Nikki Fordyce with two goals and two assists. The New Zealand defense limited Spain to just eight shots on the evening and became the third team in the tournament to hold an opponent to just one goal. New Zealand now has the third-best scoring defense in Towson.
SATURDAY SCOREBOARD
Australia vs. United States - 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
England 18, Scotland 7
Hong Kong 15, Austria 2
Israel 14, Puerto Rico 11
Japan 19, China 1
Latvia 9, Jamaica 5
Mexico 8, Italy 5
Netherlands 7, Norway 4
New Zealand 10, Spain 1
Sweden 9, Colombia 4
Switzerland 8, Argentina 7 (OT)
SUNDAY SCHEDULE
ALL TIMES EASTERN
ALL GAMES ESPN+
Norway vs. Puerto Rico - 10 a.m.
Hong Kong vs. Ireland - 11 a.m.
Czech Republic vs. Mexico - 1 p.m.
Argentina vs. China - 2 p.m.
Austria vs. Spain - 3 p.m.
Colombia vs. Italy - 4 p.m.
Scotland vs. Australia - 5 p.m.
Netherlands vs. Korea - 6 p.m.
Switzerland vs. Haudenosaunee - 7 p.m.
England vs. Canada - 8 p.m.