Australia rout New Zealand, Mexico pip Scots in women’s U20 lacrosse

Australia routed New Zealand in their opening match at the World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship at Sham Shui Po Sports Ground on Friday.

They made an explosive start before restricting the Kiwis to two goals in the second half to start with an 18-6 win.

New Zealand rallied after trailing 4-0, with three quick goals to put them back in it at the start of the second quarter. The momentum then swung in the Australians’ favour, as they closed the first half with an 8-1 scoring run.

The game’s MVP, Ocea Leavy, wove through the field to find openings from every angle. Swift footwork left her defenders trailing as she racked up six goals – five of them solo efforts.

“Ocea was formidable,” Australia head coach Meghan Mollison said. “She led from the front, she was tenacious and gritty and all the things that Australian lacrosse stands for. She showed her teammates the way and they followed her lead.”

Mollison praised the way her team clicked.

“We were able to find each other in attack,” she said. “It just shows the connectedness and the way that we’ve galvanised.”

Miriam Suares-Jury and Meg Brown netted two goals each, while Holly Dini chipped in three.

“That shows every single person on our team is a threat, and everyone’s a force to be reckoned with,” Leavy said.

She added: “We were all just so excited to play really important games where everything matters and show the world what Australia lacrosse is. We’re tenacious, we’re strong, we have a never-die attitude and we showed that.”

At Shek Kip Mei, Mexico edged out Scotland 17-11 in a closely fought game. Scotland jumped to a 7-1 lead, Carys Bucknall the stand-out with three goals.

Mexico replied with a 7-1 spurt to level, Elena Torres sparking the comeback with three consecutive goals. Three late goals from Kendall Conrad sealed it.

South Korea, on the heels of a loss to Chinese Taipei, slipped further down the Pool B standings with a 19-8 loss to Haudenosaunee.