The British Women's Team squad photo from The World Games 2022

The British Women’s Lacrosse Team joined the men’s team in finishing fourth at The World Games after an agonising 7-13 defeat to Australia in the bronze medal game on Sunday.

It was always going to be a tough task for Great Britain to make the medal table after 10 of their 12 players were involved in a gruelling Women’s World Championship campaign that only finished three days before the start of the women’s lacrosse competition at The World Games.

At that tournament, England took home the bronze medal in dramatic fashion with an over-time goal securing victory against Australia and it was these same opponents Britain were to meet in The World Games bronze medal game.

It proved tough from the out-set for the British team as they found themselves 3-1 down at the end of the first quarter and 6-2 down at the half.

But Britain seemed to grow into the game and looked a lot sharper in the second half, but it was too little too late and, despite their best efforts, they fell to Australia who took home the bronze medal.

It was a tough five days for the British Women’s Lacrosse Team but a period that certainly won’t be forgotten in a hurry as sixes lacrosse made its debut at The World Games.

For Britain, it all started with a difficult opening match against reigning silver medalists, Canada, who had just come off the back of a narrow defeat to the USA at the Women’s World Championship, a game in which 10 of their 12-player squad were involved.

They boasted names such as Dana Dobbie and Aurora Cordingley but it was Britain who excelled in large parts of the game, pushing the lacrosse heavyweights all the way.

Four goals from Iona Dryden and one for each of Claire Faram, Laura Merrifield, Tilly Foster, Laura Warren, and Emma Oakley saw this impressive British team 9-7 up in the third quarter and all square at 9-9 heading into the fourth.

But, it wasn’t to be as Canada showed their ruthlessness by shutting Britain out in the final quarter and goals from Cordingley (2), Nicole Perroni, Megan Kinna, Annabel Child, Erica Evans, and Dobbie ensured a 16-9 victory.

Great Britain’s second pool game was another challenging prospect against the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and so it proved with Britain eventually finding themselves 9-6 down with just under four minutes to go in the match.

The team managed to rally, however, and turned the game on its head with goals from Merrifield, Liv Wimpenny (2), and Chess Gray seeing Great Britain one goal ahead at 10-9.

But with just one second left on the clock, the Haudenosaunee worked the ball into a great position where Ivy Santana slotted home from close range to take the game into over-time.

Cue a cagey four-minute period of golden goal over-time in which neither side looked confident enough to commit fully to an attack.

But in such moments, the best players always step up and with one minute, twenty seconds remaining in the over-time period, Merrifield, who has so often helped England through many a tight game over the years, came up with the goods for Britain, weaving through the Haudenosaunee defence and scoring inches away from the crease.

Britain took on their third and final pool stage opponents, Israel, knowing that a victory would secure a place in the semi-finals and a match-up with the USA and they seemed determined to make that happen from the start in a first quarter that saw them score four goals without reply and head into the second 5-2 up.

Israel returned to the field for the second quarter a different team, successfully slowing Britain down, and eventually pulling the score level at 9-9 by the end of the third quarter.

After the experience of over-time in their previous match, Britain were looking to wrap up a victory in normal time and big goals from Oakley (2), Warren, Jenni Aiton, and Gray sealed a close 14-12 win.

Two wins and a loss in the pool stage put the British Women’s Lacrosse Team in good stead for the semi-final but playing the USA is never easy.

And in a demonstration of the strength in depth that the USA have at their disposal, none of their 12 players had been in Towson, Maryland for the Women’s World Championship.

They were able to reduce Britain to very little in front of goal throughout the whole game and even the vast experience of Merrifield and Faram in the attack wasn’t enough to see their team score more than five goals.

Six goals from Ellie Masera and hat-tricks from Kasey Choma and Madison Adhern ensured the USA came out on top in each quarter and secured a 21-5 victory.

USA went on to lose out on the gold medal to close rivals Canada who won their first The World Games title with a tight 14-12 win.

Britain then played out their bronze medal game against Australia who proved too strong and a blistering performance from Thea Kwas, who scored five, coupled with a hat-trick from Georgie Latch gave their team a 13-7 win.

Results

GB 9 - 16 Canada | Pool Game 1
Scorers: Dryden (3), Faram, Foster, Oakley, Merrifield, Warren

GB 11 - 10 (OT) Haudenosaunee Confederacy | Pool Game 2
Scorers: Oakley, Wimpenny (5), Faram, Dryden, Merrifield (2), Gray

GB 14 - 12 Israel | Pool Game 3
Scorers: Merrifield (3), Faram, Oakley (4), Aiton (2), Gray (2), Warren (2)

GB 5 - 21 USA | Semi-Final
Scorers: Dryden, Faram (2), Merrifield, Wimpenny

GB 7 - 13 Australia | Bronze Medal Game
Scorers: Merrifield (2), Faram (2), Oakley, Wimpenny, Aiton

Great Britain Top Scorers