England topped Group C at the 2025 World Lacrosse Men’s U20 Championship after a hard-fought 10-4 victory over hosts Korea on Monday.
In a first competitive encounter between the two nations, Drew Wilkinson scored four goals in a slow burner of a game that sees England’s young lions progress to the next stage of the competition with a record of three wins in three games.
It took more than five minutes before a goal was scored for either side: 16-year-old Archie Gold breaking the deadlock after a feed from Jack Dearden.
Seven more minutes went by before a strike by Shisung Lee levelled things up for Korea and with the final action of the first quarter, Wilkinson hit his first of the game to put England ahead.
England thought they had pulled away in the second quarter after goals from Wilkinson and Ellis Baythorpe had them three goals ahead but Korea were a dogged opponent and made it 4-3 before half-time.
Early in the third, England weathered a storm from a Korea team with momentum and a home crowd behind them and struck three times within the final five minutes to head into the fourth quarter four goals ahead at 7-3.
By the fourth, there was a feeling that England had probably done enough to get the victory but Korea tried every trick in the book to get back into the game.
England were too strong, however, scoring another three thanks to Owen Shuttleworth, Zak Spreckley, and Baythorpe and conceding just once from Ryan Baik.
After their third win of the tournament, England top the group and Jamaica will take on New Zealand in the final Group C match tomorrow with the Caribbean nation looking to finish second.
England now have a rest day before a play-in game on Wednesday where they could face one of seven teams (their opponent will be confirm after all group games have concluded).
For more information about the match and the Championship, click HERE.
England 10-4 Korea (2-1, 2-2, 3-0, 3-1)
England scorers | Drew Wilkinson (4G), Ellis Baythorpe (2G, 1A), Owen Shuttleworth (2G, 1A), Archie Gold (1G, 2A), Zak Spreckley (1G), Will Brown (1A), Jack Dearden (1A), Ben Jackson (1A), James Thompson (1A).
Face-off win % | 76.92% (10/13), Leo Baythorpe 3, George Smith 5.
Goalie save % | 71.43% (10/14).
