Lacrosse: athletes revel in the excitement of opening day matches
There was no tempering the excitement and energy of players and fans alike, as women’s lacrosse got underway at The World Games 2025.
The first day of matches featured four group stage matches, split evenly between group A (Canada, Japan, Great Britain and PR China) and group B (Australia, Czechia, Ireland and the United States of America).
The pace of play was fast and frenetic – a typical characteristic of sixes lacrosse according to Canada’s Erica Evans.
“I think the uniqueness of this sport is definitely the fast pace, like there’s always something going on for fans to watch and it’s really incredible.”
“I also think just the athleticism of the sport is amazing,” she added. “It kind of incorporates a lot of different sports, like, the best parts of each sport – basketball’s up and down the floor, soccer’s athleticism, hockey’s fast shots. There’s so much that it incorporates from other sports and I think that’s what makes it really unique.”
Those influences were on full display in Chengdu, as Team USA relied on their speed and attacking play to best Ireland, while Canada employed a healthy dose of teamwork and surgically precise shots to breeze past Japan.
Australia and Great Britain were in good form as well, racking up wins against Czechia and PR China, respectively.
“I think all of these tournaments are a great building block towards the Olympics,” explained British captain Emma Oakely. “China have put on a fantastic event here and we’re so lucky to come.”
“It’s a little bit hotter than where we come from, but it’s brilliant to be here,” she added. “I think all of these are good building blocks for us to get better and all of the teams to compete in the build up to the Olympics.”