Israel Women's Lacrosse Team to Compete for Bronze at World Championship
The Israel women's lacrosse team lost 19:7 to the USA in the World Championship semifinals in Tokyo. Despite the defeat, the team displayed a brave performance and is now preparing for the bronze medal match.
The Israel women's lacrosse team lost today, Friday, 19:7 in the World Championship semifinals in Tokyo to the USA team, ranked first in the world and the tournament favorite. Despite the loss, the Israelis played a brave game and were, alongside Ireland, the only ones in the tournament to manage to score against the Americans in each of the four quarters of the game.
Israel stayed close in the first quarter, which ended 4:3 for the USA, and in the third quarter recorded an extraordinary achievement by finishing 2:2 — the first time since 2009 that the Americans did not win a quarter in the World Championship. An American goal eight seconds before the end of the quarter prevented Israel from even winning it.
Throughout the entire game, Jordyn Lipkin led the Israeli scorers with three goals, while Zoe Martin, Shira Farvar, Sam Fisher, and Shelby Sullivan added one goal each.
On Sunday, Israel will meet the Haudenosaunee team in the match for the bronze medal. The team has already recorded a record achievement in Tokyo with its first-ever qualification for the World Championship semifinals, after finishing the group stage with a perfect record and eliminating the strong Australian team in the quarterfinals with a dramatic 12:11 victory. The achievement joins the women's team's recent victory in the European Box Lacrosse Championship.
Ian Kadish, CEO of the Israel Lacrosse Association, stated:
"We knew this would be a very high mountain to climb. The players gave their all, and the fact that they brought us to a medal game — despite the loss — is already history in every sense. We are very proud of them, looking ahead to the game for the bronze!"
Arik Kaplan, President and CEO of the "Ilan" Association, the umbrella organization for non-Olympic sports, added:
"The Israeli team competed with great dignity against the best team in the world and proved that even on the biggest stage, it is not afraid of any opponent. Its journey in this championship is already an impressive achievement that inspires pride, and now we are all behind it ahead of the battle for the bronze medal."
