|
LAX Herald Monday - July 8, 2002
The official publication of the 2002 World Lacrosse Championship
USA reign on Australian parade
Story and photos by Ben O'Shea
THE United States may have silenced some
of their critics but were unable to silence the
parochial home crowd despite giving
Australia its heaviest defeat in a World
Championship last night, 22-7.
As the Americans warmed-up to the
sound of Springsteen's 'Born in the USA' ,
head coach Jack Emmer warned them about
taking it easy against an Australian team.
This was heeded by US players as 19-year old
Michael Powell capitalised on a scrappy
face-off to score the opening goal, unassisted,
45 seconds into the game.
The Australians, conscious of the importance
of matching the US midfield, won the
next face-off cleanly and moved into attack
for the first time, But it proved difficult for
the Aussies to sustain this attacking momentum
with the US defence forcing long range
shot attempts and offering little free space
close to goal.
When the US scored their second goal in
less than three minutes, Australian coach
John Denic must have been ruing lost
opportunities after two of his attackers had
shots deflected off the goal posts.
First quarter penalities proved costly for
the Australians as the US, extra-man situation
specialists, turned three advantages into
as many goals.
Darren Nicholas gave the crowd cause for
celebration when he came from behind the
goal to open Australia's account for the
championship. This was to be Australia's
only score in the first period as the US
made the most of Australia's poor handling
to lead by six at quarter time.
Confidence was riding high in the US
camp after an attacking raid early in the second
quarter gave them their eighth goal. A
quick answer from Australian midfielder
David Whiteman reminded them of Coach
Emmer's pre-match warning.
With the Australian defence just starting
to come to terms with the fast feet of
Powell, the US gave a glimpse of the depth
of their attacking options as they strung
lightning fast passes together to great effect.
Tempers flared as the clock wound down
in the second quarter with Aussie goalie
Scott Garnsworthy given a 30 second penalty
for an incident involving a number of
players from both sides.
The atmosphere intensified when US
midfielder Scott Doyle recieved three one
minute penalties for unsportsmanlike behaviour
less than a minute later.
With the referees struggling to maintain
composure, the US regained theirs with an
important Steve Dusseau goal in the last
minute of the half to take the score to 10-3.
Dusseau continued where he left off in
the third with an early goal and when Kevin
Lowe accepted an embarassing interception
to score in an untended Australian goal, US
momentum looked like taking over.
This mistake stung the Aussies into action
and when Brad Ross put his body on the
line to score, shortly followed by another
Whiteman goal, the home crowd sensed a
comeback was on the cards.
US attackers hussled another mistake out
of the Australian defence in the dying seconds
of the quarter to notch up a nine goal
deficit in their favour.
From here on in, the US showed why
they deserve the favouritism afforded to
previous US teams with a dominant final
quarter that showcased their electrifying
attack. They found the back of the net six
times and a rock-solid defence held the
home team scoreless despite an almost even
share of possession from the face-off.
Attacking sensation Michael Powell finished
with five goals and a number of
assists in a performance that belied his limited
experience at this level and will give
US fans a name to watch in the future.
Japanese continue Red dominance
Story and photos by Jessica Vanderende
JAPAN continued its dominance of
Red Division yesterday with a 11-5
defeat of Germany.
Controlling the match throughout,
Japan more than doubled
Germany's possessions and would
have won more convincingly if
more opportunities had been taken.
Germany's head coach Jack
Kaley said his players were simply
outclassed.
"We're very disappointed but to
be honest we were lucky to be as
close as we were," he said.
The match started slowly but
after Naoki Oyoshi scored Japan's
first goal, the floodgates opened.
Shinya Maruyama, who scored
five goals in an explosive second
quarter against Sweden, starred
again with four goals but Japan's
coach Makoto Sato said he expected
him to play even better in their
next game.
Aware of Japan's superior speed,
Germany's attackers tried to force
their way through the Japanese
defence but Japan more than held
it's own in the physical clashes.
Japan was often unable to find a
clear path to goal but their
persistence eventually paid off,
with Germany's high number of
turnovers and penalties aiding their
effort.
In the second quarter play was
halted when Kaley queried if
Maruyama's stick was legal and
Germany's woes continued with
two players injured in the final
quarter.
But Kaley said both players
should be available for their next
game against Wales.
"The sorest thing is their egos,"
he said.
Kaley said Germany would need
to improve their possession skills
but was confident of bouncing
back and would get better as the
tournament continued.
But he gave credit to his goalkeeper,
who was kept busy and
nearly scored a goal himself, and
Christopher MacAulay who scored
three goals.
Sato applauded his players for
executing what they had practised
but said they needed to work on
body contact against bigger players
and their control of loose balls.
Comeback not enough for Wales
By Sarah Roberts
A STRONG comeback in the final quarter
was not enough to prevent Wales' losing to
Sweden 10-8 and recording their second
World Championship defeat yesterday.
After a tight first half, the Swedes dominated
the third quarter, scoring six goals to
Wales' one to take a 9-3 lead.
Wales countered impressively in the final
quarter with five goals but Sweden's extra
goal secured their win.
Welsh coach Ray Nash said the team
played well for one quarter but gave away
too many penalties.
"They need to play with their heads as
well as their sticks," he said.
Manager Derek Kelly said he felt the refereeing
was "very inconsistent".
The Welsh team was hoping to overcome
a 14-7 defeat by Scotland on Friday.
Sweden also started the Championship
poorly, losing to Japan 19-4.
Swedish coach Chuck Wohltmann said
the team would need to improve for today's
match against Scotland.
"We played two quarters of the lacrosse
we should be playing," he said.
"Now we need to play four quarters."
Sweden was well-served in offence by Chad
Abbey, who netted three goals.
Wales play Germany today in the main
stadium.
Welsh captain Gareth Morgan has spent
the past five months in Western Australia
playing for local team Wembley and coaching
their under-17 side.
Scotland prevail in stadium thriller
Story and photo by Braden Quartermaine
SCOTLAND prevailed over the
Czech Republic 9-8 in a thrilling
Red Division match at the main
stadium yesterday, with no more
than a goal separating the teams
throughout.
Incredibly, scores were tied at 3-
3 at quarter time, 6-6 at the half
and 7-7 with a quarter to play in a
tense low-scoring game in which
both goalkeepers reigned supreme.
Scottish forward Kyle Arbuckle
was inspirational in the final term
scoring twice, the second putting
his side in front with less than
three minutes to play.
However, the Czechs can take
heart from their performance in
this entertaining match, with John
Hetzel's efforts in goal keeping his
team in the game early.
A dashing run from defence and
accurate long pass from Czech
midfielder Martin Mrlik resulted
in a stunning counter-attacking
goal for team mate Mirek Knotek
in the third quarter.
The Czech Republic would have
been disappointed not to lead at
three quarter time, playing with
extra men for much of the third
term after some undisciplined
Scottish play resulted in penalties.
Scotland head coach Phil Collier
said discipline had been a problem
and he had spoken to his players
about it at the final break. He said
he was very happy to come
through such a tight game.
"We probably learnt a lot more
about ourselves today than if we
had one by 10," he said.
"We won in overtime against
[the Czech Republic] four years
ago so we expected a hard game.
"We're two from two now and
are setting ourselves for a good
tournament."
Scotland will be hoping to make
it three in a row when it takes on
Sweden today, while things don't
get any easier for the Czech
Republic with a tough match
against division leaders Japan.
Iroquois pounce on English waste
By Braden Quartermaine
ENGLAND was left ruing the final minutes
of the first quarter in last night's blue division
clash at the Lacrosse World
Championships after conceding two quick
goals to the Iroquois Nationals to allow
them back into the game.
Nearing quarter time England held a 2-0
lead but after the Iroquois levelled at the
first break the momentum shift could not
have been more noticeable.
The Iroquois Nationals piled on 13 unanswered
goals before England could manage a
third, effectively killing the match as a contest.
England was steamrolled by an aggressive
and skillful Iroquois outfit in the second
and third quarters. Five late goals could
not prevent them going down 17-8.
The second term definitive, with the
Iroquois having 11 shots to England's six, but
more importantly scoring seven times while
holding England goalless.
Penalties proved costly throughout the
match for the British side, with seven goals
being scored by the Iroquois team while
they were a man down.
Iroquois' Neal Powless worked tirelessly
all night, scoring six times while Scott
Burnam scored four.
Iroquois Nationals assistant coach Bill
Bjorness was happy with the win but was
not getting carried away.
"It's a long tournament but now we're
one and one and we're looking forward to
the future," he said.
"We're pretty excited right now. It's not
easy coming back from that loss yesterday."
England coach Dave Elwood was understandably
disappointed with the loss but
said his team would not lie down, even after
two losses.
"We'll never give up and we'll be back
tomorrow [to] give it a shot," he said.
Irish green machine powers on
By Vanessa Frzop
IRELAND'S five-goal opening term set up
an impressive 14-5 victory over Korea in
yesterday's match.
With the game being played at a fast and
furious pace, Irish forward John Daley and
midfielder Dan Daley dominated throughout,
both finding the back of the net.
The second quarter saw Ireland leading
comfortably 8-0, with the Korean defence
struggling to keep up with the speedy Irish.
Halftime couldn't come quick enough for
the Koreans and allowed them to re-group.
But Irish head coach Richie Moran
emphasised to his players the importance of
coming out after the break full of vigour.
In a bizarre incident, Moran demanded
his players come back off the field after
they had returned from halftime and re-enter
with more visible team spirit.
Moran's passionate speech had the
desired effect on his players and Ireland
scored three goals in as many minutes at the
start of the third quarter to lead 12-2.
This was largely a result of the tireless
efforts of Pat McGee in attack and Kevin
Dowd in the midfield.
Korea's Cortland Kyoung Jin Kim retaliated
with a brilliant goal, bringing some joy
to the Korean supporters who had braved
the cold and blustery conditions to openly
show their support.
Ireland relaxed in the last quarter and this
resulted in several missed opportunities to
extend their lead.
Korea's Cortland Kyoung-Jin Kim and
Brian Seung-hoon Chang capitalised on
Ireland's lapse in concentration, each scoring
a late goal.
But Ireland was too strong and celebrated
their win by huddling on the pitch and
singing the Irish national anthem.
Ireland will attempt to continue their
good form against New Zealand at 4pm
today. Hong Kong takes on Korea at 10am.
NZ rebound to defeat Hong Kong
By Tessa Heal
NEW ZEALAND recovered from
Saturday's embarrassing loss to Korea to
defeat Hong Kong 9-8 in a physical green
division game yesterday.
Jeff Avery was outstanding for New
Zealand, scoring four of their nine goals in
an impressive attacking game.
New Zealand got off to a flying start with
Avery, Nick Low and playing-coach Mark
Freemon all scoring early to give their team
a handy 3-0 lead at quarter time.
But Hong Kong came back strongly, scoring
four goals to one in the second quarter
to draw level going into the main break.
Both teams had their chances after half
time and the third quarter was a resultant
tough battle between the sides. Avery, 33,
scored all three goals for New Zealand
while Greg Pilarowski and Christopher
Kwok Keung Li scored for Hong Kong.
New Zealand went into the last quarter
with a one-goal advantage but Hong Kong
scored two early goals through Che Fung So
and Ho Yin Lai to hit the front.
New Zealand then rallied, finding the net
twice in the last four minutes to secure a
crucial victory.
Hong Kong's midfielder Li, 17, was again
one of their best, impressing with his speed
and skill. Their second consecutive loss was
an improvement on their 16-1 defeat at the
hands of Ireland on Saturday.
New Zealand's Jake Pritchard said yesterday's
game showed the determination of
this side after their first-up loss to Korea.
"It was a really tough game but players
like Jeff Avery, Nick Ravenhall and Jeremy
Lee all played really well," he said.
"We were strong in attack and defence."
New Zealand now faces a tough test
today against green division favourite
Ireland. The Irish team won their first two
games in convincing fashion and are playing
brilliantly under the guidance of head
coach Richie Moran.
|
