England U20 Women's World Championship squad announced

England Lacrosse is excited to announce the final 22-player squad to take part in the 2024 World Lacrosse U20 Women’s Championship later this year.

Taking place in Hong Kong, China from 15-24 August, the tournament comes just over two years after the England U20 women’s team claimed European glory at the 2023 ELF Women’s U21 Championship in Prague, Czechia.

15 of the 22-strong World Championship squad played in that competition helping England maintain an unbeaten record with five wins, scoring 76 goals and conceding just 21.

The U20 training squad have since continued to work hard over the last few months both on the training pitch and in gaining valuable match practice.

A tour to Florida in February to face NCAA opposition was followed up by competing at the Senior Regionals tournament in April.

The training squad then travelled to Wales for the annual Home Internationals Series where they secured three wins, defeating fellow World Championship competitors Wales, Scotland, and Germany.

The squad now have a series of practice scrimmages lined up against senior national squads including England, Scotland, and the Netherlands to complement their training weekends and ensure the group is in the best shape possible to peak come the Championship in August.

Earlier this year, England were drawn in Pool D alongside Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, and hosts, Hong Kong, China with their first game against Jamaica taking place on Friday 16 August.

England U20 women’s team Head Coach, Vic Alexander said:

“First of all, I’d like to thank every one of our wider training squad for their hard work and dedication over the past few months and congratulations to the 22 players who have been selected to travel to Hong Kong, China in August.

“As we gear up for the World Championship, it is an exciting time for us as a team and I can’t wait to see our hard work on the training pitch translated into play at the tournament.

“But our U20 performance programme is about every player fulfilling their potential and preparing them for the next step in their lacrosse journey and I’m looking forward most to continuing that work and seeing it come to fruition before, during, and after the World Championship.”

2024 World Lacrosse U20 Women’s Championship Squad

Honor Ashby
Rachael Ball
Charlie Bell
Kennedy Buntrock
Millie Cant
Grace Connor
Lois Crilly
Grace Davison
Ella Dimbylow
Lucy Evans
Ashley Fawn
Ana Green
Carys Johnson
Molly Light
Habi Littlehales
Ellie Martin
Annie Mather
Izzy Middleton
Freya Moody
Emma Pearce
Sienna Richardson
Jemma Thomson

England complete Home Internationals clean sweep with perfect record

England Lacrosse sealed a perfect weekend in Cardiff as all four teams finished with 100% records in their competitions and completed a Home Internationals clean sweep.

A trio of wins on Sunday for both Senior sides and the U20 Women against Wales secured all three competitions up for grabs and U20 Men went two out of two in their weekend of matches with an impressive victory over Scotland Seniors.

England Senior Women came through a testing opener on Day 1; just one goal up at the half-time break having trailed against Scotland, a shut-out second half and 12-goal scoring streak resulted in a comfortable looking 18-5 win.

They then followed this up with a professional 20-1 victory over Czechia before facing hosts Wales looking to finish on a win and retain the Home Internationals.

England went ahead early with three goals in the first 10 minutes, and despite Wales always keeping the game close with strong defence, the result was rarely in doubt, bringing home a 13-7 win.

The England Senior Men’s final match against Wales became a winner takes all affair as both teams had beaten Scotland and Netherlands in their first two contests.

England steamrollered Scotland in their opener, moving 10-0 up at half-time before settling in the second half for a 17-2 scoreline.

This was then followed again by a flying start against Netherlands, going 6-0 up at the 1/4 time to assert dominance over proceedings and never relinquishing their comfortable advantage to come home 14-4.

In the decider, Wales caused a stir by going a goal ahead, but England remained unfazed, consistently working to break down the Welsh defence to find the net scoring four in each of the first two quarters for an 8-1 HT lead, finishing the game 14-2 victors and Men’s Home Internationals champions.

It was a similar situation for our U20 Women as they stamped their authority on the competition with a big 23-5 win against Scotland, followed up by another strong 17-2 victory over guest nation Germany.

This again set up a decider against Wales who proved to be a step up in competition for the side preparing for this summer’s Women’s World U20 Championship.

It was relatively low-scoring with England dominating the ball for large periods but being held out by an organised, physical Welsh defence; England only 5-1 up at the half.

The narrative continued after the break with England never in free scoring mood, but Wales unable to exert little pressure at the attacking end of things and England continued to chip further ahead, ending the match 11-2 ahead.

Meanwhile, a youthful England U20 Men’s side headed to Cardiff for their own international tests against senior opposition.

Their matchup against Netherlands proved to be one of the most exciting matches of the tournament as they held their own against their older opponents in a back and forth game that they always managed to just keep in front of, celebrating a hard-fought 10-9 win.

This was then followed up by an impressive 14-5 defeat of Scotland Seniors, even after falling behind early.

Scotland took 3-1 lead into the 1/4 time, but the U20s regrouped, slowly chipping away at the lead to eventually sneak 5-4 up at the half, and took that confidence into the third and fourth quarters where they ran out easy 14-5 winners with a 9-1 second half.

Plenty of player and coach interviews with each of the teams from across the weekend can be found on the England Lacrosse YouTube channel.

Results
Friday 5 April
9am - England U20 W 23-5 Scotland - (7-2; 14-3; 17-4; 23-5)
England Scorers: Annie Mather 5, Freya Moody 3, Emma Pearce 3, Molly Light 2, Millie Cant 2, Nina Sherwen 2, Grace Connor 1, Rachael Ball 1, Charlie Bell 1, Lucy Evans 1, Fiona MacLean 1, Sienna Richardson 1

11am - England Snr W 18-5 Scotland - (2-2; 6-5; 13-5; 18-5)
England Scorers: Ella Cohen (3G, 3A), Georgie Southorn (3G), Lucy Devine (2G, 1A), Liv Wimpenny (2G, 1A), Claire Faram (2G), Tilly Shires (2G), Milly Home (2G), Julie Wise (2G), Emma Savage (2A)

5pm - England Snr M 17-2 Scotland - (6-0; 10-0; 13-1; 17-2)
England Scorers: Alex Russell (5G, 1A), Blair Pachereva (4G), Will Goodwin (2G, 1A), Ed Loveland (2G), Dan Madeley (2G), Tom Roper (1G, 1A), Nathan Wilkinson (1G), Joe Baythorpe (2A), George Bascom (1A)

Saturday 6 April 
9am - England U20 W 17-2 Germany - (8-0; 11-1; 15-1; 17-2)
England Scorers: Carys Johnson (3G, 2A), Lucy Evans (3G), Lara Renders (2G, 1A), Emma Pearce (2G), Millie Cant (2G), Habi Littlehales (1G, 1A), Ellie Pobjoy (1G, 1A), Honor Ashby (1G, 1A), Freya Moody (1G), Jemma Thomson (1G), Molly Light (2A)

9am - England U20 M 10-9 Netherlands Snr - (3-3; 6-5; 8-7; 10-9)
England Scorers: Ellis Baythorpe 4, Jamie Mochan 2, Billy Styche 2, Oscar McCarthy 1, Zak Spreckley 1

3pm - England Snr W 20-1 Czechia - (6-0; 8-0; 14-0; 20-1)
England Scorers: Liv Wimpenny (3G, 1A), Milly Home (3G), Ella Cohen (2G, 4A), Georgie Southorn (2G, 2A), Cece Green (2G, 2A), Alice Ripper (2G), Anna Neville (2G), Emma Savage (1G, 1A), Minty Loxton-Barnard (1G), Lucy Devine (1G), Tilly Shires (1G)

3pm - England Snr M 14-4 Netherlands - (6-0; 9-2; 12-3; 14-4)
England Scorers: Blair Pachereva 3, Nathan Wilkinson 2, Alex Russell 2, Ed Loveland 2, Cam Major 2, Will Goodwin 1, Will Locker 1, Elliott Bickerton 1

Sunday 7 April 
12.30pm - England U20 M 14-5 Scotland Snr - (1-3; 5-4; 9-4; 14-5)
England Scorers: Ellis Baythorpe 4, Zak Spreckley 3, Henry Smith 2, Owen Shuttleworth 2, Oscar McCarthy 1, Ryan Frayne 1, Jamie Mochan 1

1pm - England U20 W 11-2 Wales - (3-1; 5-1; 9-2; 11-2)
England Scorers: Charlie Bell (5G), Nina Sherwen (2G), Millie Cant (1G), Ella Dimbylow (1G), Grace Connor (1G), Ellie Pobjoy (1G), Habi Littlehales (1A), Bonnie Russell (1A)

3pm - England Snr W 13-7 Wales - (5-2; 8-5; 11-6; 13-7)
England Scorers: Georgie Southorn (4G, 1A), Milly Home (3G, 1A), Tilly Shires (2G), Anna Neville (2G), Liv Wimpenny (1G), Cece Green (1G)

3pm - England Snr M 14-2 Wales - (4-1; 8-1; 10-1; 14-2)
England Scorers: Blair Pachevera 4, Nathan Wilkinson 3, Joe Baythorpe 2, Will Goodwin 2, Alex Russell 1, Elliott Bickerton 1, Tom Roper 1

Final Standings

Senior Women
1 England
2 Scotland
3 Wales
4 Czechia

Senior Men
1 England
2 Wales
3 Netherlands
4 Scotland

U20 Women
1 England
2 Wales
3 Scotland
4 Germany

England U20 women's Home Internationals Series squad announced

England Lacrosse is excited to announce the 29-player England under-20 women’s squad travelling to Cardiff for the 2024 Home Internationals Series.

The annual competition, taking place from 5-7 April, will see England take on other international sides in competitive fixtures as they continue their preparations for the 2024 World Lacrosse Women’s U20 World Championship later this year.

18 of the 29-strong squad helped England to under-20 European Championship glory last summer in Prague, Czechia, and they’re joined by another 11 players representing some of the best young talent England has to offer.

England will play three games during the 2024 Home Internationals Series, including matches against Scotland U20, Germany U20, and Wales U20, all of whom are taking part in August’s World Championship.

To buy tickets for the 2024 Home Internationals Series, click HERE.

England U20 Women’s Squad

Honor Ashby
Rachael Ball
Charlie Bell
Millie Cant
Grace Connor
Lois Crilly
Grace Davison
Ella Dimbylow
Lucy Evans
Ashley Fawn
Ana Green
Abi Harris
Carys Johnson
Molly Light
Habi Littlehales
Fiona MacLean
Ellie Martin
Annie Mather
Izzy Middleton
Freya Moody
Sienna Parekh
Emma Pearce
Ellie Pobjoy
Lara Renders
Sienna Richardson
Bonnie Russell
Ailsa Scott
Nina Sherwen
Jemma Thomson

Tickets on sale for 2024 Home Internationals Series

Tickets for the 2024 Home Internationals Series, featuring England, Scotland, Germany, Netherlands, Czechia, and hosts Wales are now on sale.

Taking place at the Cardiff University Playing Fields, Cardiff from 5-7 April, the annual Home Internationals Series will see senior, under-20, and under-18 men’s and women’s teams play against each other in a main competition and a festival with the winners in each tournament being crowned 2024 Home Internationals champions.

Tickets start from just £6 for a single day concessions* ticket with two-day passes and full tournament tickets also available.

If you buy before Friday 29th March, you can grab a full tournament pass for the price of two day tickets!

Last year’s competition, held in Nottingham, saw England dominate, winning every trophy on offer, including the senior men’s and women’s titles.

Ticket Details

Full Weekend Adult | £22.25
Full Weekend Concessions | £16.75
Two-Day Ticket Adult | £22.25
Two-Day Ticket Concessions | £16.75
Day Ticket Adult | £11.25
Day Ticket Concessions | £6.00

*Concessions include under 16s, over 65s, and students with a valid student card.

England discover 2024 Women’s U20 Championship pool play opponents

England will take on hosts Hong Kong, China, Ireland, Jamaica, and Japan in Group D at the 2024 World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship after World Lacrosse announced the full schedule earlier today.

They’ll play all four pool stage games over a five day period beginning with Jamaica on 16 August and finishing with a local derby with Ireland on 20 August.

The 64-game schedule for the Championship, set for 15-24 August, features 20 teams split into four groups for pool play, followed by play-offs that will include quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal games.

The teams were snake seeded into pools based on their finishes at the 2019 edition of the tournament and balanced by Continental Federation.

Competition will take place at four venues, highlighted by Mong Kok Stadium, which will host games on the opening day of the tournament, the semi-finals and medal round.

Mong Kok seats 6,000 spectators and serves as a regular venue for Hong Kong Premier League Football matches.

The other three venues – Sham Shui Po, Shek Kip Mei and Kowloon Tsai – are all located within 10 minutes of each other and Mong Kok Stadium.

The event will commence on 15 August with three games preceding the opening ceremony: Israel v China, Korea v Chinese Taipei, and Mexico v Italy. Following the ceremony, hosts Hong Kong, China will take on Jamaica at Mong Kok Stadium.

The three medalists from 2019 will make their debut the next day on 16 August as Australia battle New Zealand, Canada take on Wales, and the United States face Germany.

Pool play will take place over six days, with each team playing four games. The top two teams in each group will advance to the quarter-finals, which begin on Wednesday 21 August before the semi-finals and eventual medal round games on Saturday 24 August.

The format ensures high-stakes match-ups during pool play, as teams vie to finish in the top two to advance to the play-offs. Three out of the four groups contain three teams that finished in the top 10 at the last junior women’s championship in 2019, and 15 out of the 16 teams that qualified for the play-offs at the 2022 Women’s Championship are represented in the field.

The full schedule can be found HERE. Tickets will go on sale to the public in late April/early May.

England Schedule (local times)

16 August | Jamaica v England | 5pm
17 August | Hong Kong, China v England | 5pm
18 August | England v Japan | 8pm
20 August | England v Ireland | 2pm

Pool A

China
Germany
Israel
Puerto Rico
United States

Pool B

Canada
Haudenosaunee
Korea
Chinese Taipei
Wales

Pool C

Australia
Italy
Mexico
New Zealand
Scotland

Pool D

England
Hong Kong, China
Ireland
Jamaica
Japan

England U20 women take on top level opposition ahead of World Championship

For the past week, the England women’s under-20 World Championship training squad has been on tour in Florida, USA taking on top level opposition as they continue to prepare for the 2024 World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship in August.

The 29-player training squad travelled across the pond with four coaches, including Head Coach Vic Alexander, and took part in a programme of training sessions and scrimmages against American college teams.

The tour allowed the players to experience a performance environment similar to the one they’ll find at the World Championship in Hong Kong, China.

It also exposed the players to high-level situations against top quality NCAA athletes who are on the verge of their 2024 college seasons, allowing our England coaches to see how the players cope under pressure and in different match situations.

England played five scrimmages in total against the University of South Florida (x2), Florida Southern College, Florida Institute of Technology, and the University of Tampa, with players rotated throughout matches in line with the wider training schedule.

Despite five losses, including a narrow 14-12 defeat to Florida Institute of Technology, the players and coaches have learned a lot and come away with some invaluable experiences ahead of the World Championship.

The players have been able to build stronger bonds across the squad both on and off the field and the team has made some important connections with lacrosse players from the United States.

Following the tour to Florida, the squad will continue to work hard in training sessions with the next big milestone being the annual Home Internationals Series in early April before the final 22-player World Championship squad is announced shortly after.

Florida Tour Results

Thursday 8 February | England 6-22 University of South Florida
England scorers | Pobjoy (2), Connor, MacLean, Moody, Russell

Thursday 8 February | England 8-20 Florida Southern College
England scorers | Light (3), Bell (2), MacLean, Mather, Sherwen

Friday 9 February | England 12-14 Florida Institute of Technology
England scorers | Sherwen (3), Ball (2), Moody (2), Johnson (2), Light, Cant, Renders, Russell,

Saturday 10 February | England 7-20 University of Tampa
England scorers | Johnson (2), Renders (2), Bell, Own Goal, Russell

Monday 12 February | England 19-4 University of South Florida
England scorers | Bell (2), Light, Renders

England women's U20s embark on Florida tour

The England women’s under-20 World Championship training squad has arrived in Florida, USA for an overseas tour as they ramp up their preparations ahead of this summer’s 2024 World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship.

During the six day tour, the England women’s under-20 training squad will play five scrimmages against four American college teams.

They’ll take part in training sessions, strength & conditioning sessions, and experience a general performance atmosphere similar to the one they will face in Hong Kong, China during the World Championship.

It’s not all work, however, as the tour presents a fantastic opportunity for the players to get to know one another better, make connections with players from the United States, and see a different part of the world.

The 2024 World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship takes place from 15 to 25 August in Hong Kong, China and 20 teams including England are confirmed to be taking part.

England are looking to back up their 2022 European Championship win with a strong performance against some of the best young lacrosse talent in the world.

For updates on the England women’s under-20 tour, follow England Lacrosse on social media.

Game Schedule

Thursday 8 February | England 6-22 University of South Florida
England scorers | Pobjoy (2), Connor, MacLean, Moody, Russell

Thursday 8 February | England 8-20 Florida Southern College
England scorers | Light (3), Bell (2), MacLean, Mather, Sherwen

Friday 9 February | England 12-14 Florida Institute of Technology
England scorers | Sherwen (3), Ball (2), Moody (2), Johnson (2), Light, Cant, Renders, Russell,

Saturday 10 February | England 7-20 University of Tampa
England scorers | Johnson (2), Renders (2), Bell, Own Goal, Russell

Monday 12 February | England 19-4 University of South Florida
England scorers | Bell (2), Light, Renders

Training Squad

Honor Ashby
Rachael Ball
Charlie Bell
Kennedy Buntrock
Millie Cant
Grace Connor
Lois Crilly
Grace Davison
Ella Dimbylow
Lucy Evans
Ashley Fawn
Ana Green
Abi Harris
Carys Johnson
Molly Light
Habi Littlehales
Fiona MacLean
Ellie Martin
Annie Mather
Izzy Middleton
Freya Moody
Sienna Parekh
Emma Pearce
Ellie Pobjoy
Lara Renders
Bonnie Russell
Ailsa Scott
Nina Sherwen
Jemma Thomson

England women's U20 World Championship training squad announced

England Lacrosse is delighted to announce that an England women’s under-20 training squad has been selected ahead of this summer’s 2024 World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship in Hong Kong, China.

Head Coach, Vic Alexander, alongside her coaching team, has chosen 29 players as part of the training squad that will also embark on a tour to Florida, Ca., USA in February as preparations for the World Championship in August begin to step up.

18 of the 29-player squad helped England to under-21 European Championship glory last summer, including captains Rachael Ball, Millie Cant, and Ana Green.

This larger training squad will be whittled down to a final 22-player Championship squad after the annual Home Internationals Series in April, with a number of those not selected as part of the final 22-player squad continuing to train with the team as active reserves.

For more information and news about the England women’s under-20 squad, click HERE.

29-player Training Squad
Honor Ashby
Rachael Ball
Charlie Bell
Kennedy Buntrock
Millie Cant
Grace Connor
Lois Crilly
Grace Davison
Ella Dimbylow
Lucy Evans
Ashley Fawn
Ana Green
Abi Harris
Carys Johnson
Molly Light
Habi Littlehales
Fiona MacLean
Ellie Martin
Annie Mather
Izzy Middleton
Freya Moody
Sienna Parekh
Emma Pearce
Ellie Pobjoy
Lara Renders
Bonnie Russell
Ailsa Scott
Nina Sherwen
Jemma Thomson

20-team field set for 2024 World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship in Hong Kong, China

World Lacrosse has today announced the field of 20 teams set to compete in the 2024 World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship in Hong Kong, China, scheduled for 15 to 25 August. 

Each team in the strong field is returning from the 2019 edition of the championship. The participating teams are:

Australia 
Canada 
China 
England 
Germany 
Haudeosaunee 
Hong Kong, China 
Ireland 
Israel 
Italy 
Jamaica 
Japan 
Korea 
Mexico 
New Zealand 
Puerto Rico 
Scotland 
Chinese Taipei 
United States  
Wales 

Split up by continental federation, the diverse field features seven teams from the Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union, seven teams from the European Lacrosse Federation, and six teams from the Pan-American Lacrosse Association.  

World Lacrosse CEO Jim Scherr said:

“I am delighted to announce an extremely competitive field for this Women’s U20 Championship, which will truly feature the best emerging young talent in the global lacrosse community.

“The overall level of play and the competitive balance of our sport has never been higher, and this junior championship is going to be a special World Lacrosse event in a premier destination in Hong Kong, China.” 

The medalists from 2019 will be back in contention again, led by the United States, Canada and Australia, with plenty of competition from England, Japan, New Zealand, Wales, Germany, Puerto Rico and the Haudenosaunee, who all finished in the top ten. 

China, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico and Chinese Taipei will all be making their second appearance in the competition.

The format and pools for the 20-team field will be announced in due course as well as the schedule and ticketing plans.

All information on the women’s U20 championship can be found HERE. 

England win U21 European Championship after win over Czechia

England ensured back to back ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship titles after defeating Czechia 9-4 in an enthralling 2023 final in Prague on Sunday.

After a tense start from both sides, Charlie Bell opened the scoring after 11 and a half minutes but with just 30 seconds left in the first quarter, Czechia were level after Eliška Hanzlová scored her fourth of the tournament.

England came out in the second and were very assured in their possession but were unable to turn their control of the ball into goals until Grace Davison found herself high up the pitch and fired home from close range to ensure every single England out-field player scored at the tournament.

Czechia were resolute in their game plan, remaining in the game, and they found themselves level once again when Ellen Pantazopoulou scored direct from a free position.

But, in what was a turning point in the game, captain Millie Cant put England back in front with the last play of the half.

England returned to the field after half-time with renewed confidence and quickly punished Czechia with Sofia Wise keeping up her record of scoring in every game at the tournament before Molly Light capped a brilliant performance in midfield with a goal as well.

Czechia remained within touching distance as Barbora Koděrová hit her team’s third of the day from a free position but England upped the pressure and pulled further ahead through Wise, Annie Mather, Rachael Ball, and Carys Johnson as the game entered the final 15 minutes.

With 10 minutes left on the clock, Pantazopoulou scored Czechia’s fourth but it proved to be too little, too late as England were able to see the game out and win the Championship title 9-5.

Watch the game in full HERE.

England points scorers | Wise (2G, 2A), Ball (1G, 2A), Bell (1G, 1A), Cant (1G, 1A), Davison (1G), Mather (1G), Light (1G), Johnson (1G), Renders (1A)

Czechia points scorers | Pantazopoulou (2G), Hanzlová (1G), Koděrová (1G)

England top points scorers

1. Wise | 18 (16G, 2A)

2. Ball | 15 (3G, 12A)

3. Mather | 14 (9G, 5A)

4. Cant | 12 (8G, 4A)

5. Bell | 11 (5G, 6A)

6. Johnson | 11 (6G, 5A)

England Results

England 14-7 Czechia | Group A Game 1
England 12-4 Wales | Group A Game 2
England 24-1 Italy | Quarter-Final
England 17-5 Sweden | Semi-Final
England 9-4 Czechia | Final

England face Czechia in U21 European Championship final after semi-final win over Sweden

England will play hosts Czechia on Sunday in the 2023 ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship after a commanding 17-5 win over Sweden in the semi-finals in Prague.

Another four goal haul for Sofia Wise, a hat-trick from captain Millie Cant, and goals for Carys Johnson, Lara Renders, Molly Light, Lucy Evans, Charlie Bell, and Rachael Ball ensured England swept aside Sweden to reach a second successive European Championship final in this age group.

England started in their usual quick manner and were 3-0 up with five minutes gone on the clock with goals through Johnson, Cant, and Renders.

But Sweden, who had scored a massive 64 goals in just four games before the semi-final, were not going to go down without a fight and finished the quarter strongly, getting to within one goal of England as Ava Main and Emma McCrea scored to make the score 3-2.

Just before first quarter time, Bell eased any nerves for England as she fired home from a free-position to see her team go in at the break with their three goal lead still intact.

England came back out for the second quarter smelling blood and played a perfect 15 minutes of lacrosse with Wise, Johnson, and Evans all adding to England’s tally within four minutes of the restart.

Then a bizarre moment as England were gifted a goal as Maja Hunter attempted to pass the ball to her goalie under pressure from the England offence but instead played it into her own net.

This rocked Sweden and England saw out the half, adding another goal in the process through Wise.

A barn-storming second quarter was followed by a slightly more leisurely third from England who eased off Sweden in the opening few minutes, conceding two in quick succession as Main and McCrea gave their team some hope with the score at 9-4.

But Wise was there again when England needed her, as she has been through the entire tournament, and scored her hat-trick goal followed shortly by her fourth of the game to increase England’s lead before Cant finished off the scoring in the third quarter with her second of the day.

Sweden did not lay down, however, and Main grabbed a deserved hat-trick goal early in the fourth before England’s quality and class shone through once again as they finished the game in style, hitting five goals without reply through Cant, Light, Evans, and Bell to see out the game and book a spot in the U21 European Championship final.

England will play Czechia in the 2023 ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship at 2pm BST on Sunday.

Watch the semi-final game versus Sweden in full HERE.

Watch England’s final versus Czechia on Sunday HERE.

England points scorers | Wise (4G), Cant (3G), Bell (2G, 2A), Johnson (2G, 1A), Evans (2G), Ball (1G, 3A), Light (1G), Renders (1G), Mather (2A), Pearce (1A).

Sweden points scorers | Main (3G), McCrea (2G), Czajkowski (1A), Runske (1A).

England demolish Italy to secure semi-final spot at ELF Women's U21 Championship

England secured a spot in the 2023 ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship semi-finals with a huge 24-1 win over Italy in the quarter-final at the Pražačka Sports and Recreation Centre yesterday.

As has been the case in their previous games, England started on the front foot and found themselves 5-0 up after just nine and a half minutes through top goal-scorer Sofia Wise, Emma Pearce, and a hat-trick from Annie Mather.

Despite their commanding lead, England continued to push for goals and finished the quarter strongly, scoring three more goals before quarter-time as Millie Cant and Molly Light got themselves on the scoresheet as well as a second of the game for Wise.

The second quarter played out in much the same way as the first with England dominating possession and working themselves into several good positions.

Captain Ana Green scored her first ever competitive goal for England after she won a foul and converted from the subsequent free position much to the delight of the England fans in the stadium and Green’s team mates; this was followed up with goals from Pearce, Lara Renders, Honor Ashby, and two for Lucy Evans before half-time.

England came out after half-time and scored two more quick-fire goals through Ailsa Scott and Cant but as they began to tire slightly in the third, Italy were able to carve out a couple of good periods of possession that eventually led to their one and only goal as Casey Gilbert weaved through the England defence and scored with a brilliant finish.

That seemed to kick England into action once again and they finished the third quarter with another three goals as Charlie Bell got her name on the scoresheet before Wise and Light grabbed their third and second goals of the game respectively.

As the game began to wind down to a close in the final quarter, England continued to be ruthless in front of Italy’s goal and ended the game with another five goals as Mather and Wise each scored their fourth, Renders grabbed her second, Cant hit her hat-trick, and Carys Johnson scored her first.

England will now play Sweden in the semi-final at 6pm BST tonight (Friday 7 July).

You can watch the quarter-final game in full HERE.

England points scorers | Mather (4G, 2A), Wise (4G), Cant (3G, 2A), Evans (2G, 2A), Renders (2G, 2A), Light (2G, 1A), Pearce (2G), Bell (1G, 2A), Johnson (1G, 2A), Ashby (1G), Green (1G), Scott (1G), Ball (4A)

Italy points scorers | Gilbert (1G)

England top Group A with win over Wales at ELF Women's U21 Championship

England ensured they finished top of Group A and remain unbeaten with a 12-4 win over rivals Wales at the 2023 ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship in Prague, Czechia on Tuesday evening.

Two goals from Sofia Wise and goals from Annie Mather, Charlie Bell, and Lara Renders saw England finish the first quarter 5-1 up.

An equally impressive second quarter which saw Wise grab her second goal of the game and Molly Light and Lucy Evans also get on the scoresheet meant Wales had it all to do in the second half.

Charlotte Davies and Phoebe Hurt scored for Wales either side of an Emma Pearce free position goal in the third before captain Millie Cant hit her first of the tournament followed by Mather’s hat-trick goal and one for outstanding performer, Carys Johnson in the fourth saw England claim victory.

England will play Italy in the quarter-finals on Thursday after they finished in second place in Group C.

You can watch the game in full HERE.

England points scorers | Mather (3G), Wise (2G), Bell (1G, 1A), Johnson (1G, 1A), Light (1G, 1A), Cant (1G), Evans (1G), Pearce (1G), Renders (1G), Ball (1A)

Wales points scorers | Hurt (2G), Davies (1G), Noble (1G), Legge (1A)

England’s next fixture

England v Italy | 6 July | 10:30am BST

England defeat hosts Czechia in opening game at ELF Women's U21 Championship

England stormed to a 14-7 victory against Czechia in the opening Group A game at the 2023 ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship in Prague despite a spirited performance from the hosts.

Hat-tricks from Sofia Wise and Emma Pearce saw England finish the first quarter with a five goal cushion and the score at 6-1.

But Czechia showed their quality in the second and third, restricting England to just three goals in those periods and reducing the deficit to three.

England regrouped in the fourth and final quarter and goals from Carys Johnson, Lara Renders, Pearce, and Ella Dimbylow ensured a 14-7 victory ahead of the team’s second Group A game on Tuesday against Wales.

England started with intent in the opening minutes of the game quickly finding themselves a goal up after Johnson picked the ball up just behind the Czechia goal, drove inside and passed to an unmarked Wise who finished with ease.

Before long England had doubled their lead through Wise once again after she was played in brilliantly by Dimbylow who spotted Wise’s run from deep.

England’s third and fourth goals came soon after the second - first through Pearce who finished from the edge of the fan after being played in from behind the goal by Annie Mather and then through Wise who scored her hat-trick goal after being picked out beautifully by captain, Rachael Ball.

To round off the first quarter, Emma Pearce scored her second of the match in exquisite style after driving toward goal and finishing from range and added her hat-trick goal soon after from a free position.

In a sign of things to come, Ellen Pantazopoulou scored Czechia’s first goal of the game from a free position with just a couple of seconds left of the first quarter.

As the game moved into the second and third quarters, Czechia found their stride with E. Pantazopoulou scoring twice either side of another Wise goal for England before Victorie Štědrá and E. Pantazopoulou grabbed another couple for the opposition moments after Rachael Ball had scored from close range for England.

Right at the end of the third quarter, Lucy Evans added another for England just before a Markéta Fišerová goal ensured England went into the fourth with a slender three goal lead.

Any nerves about England not being completely in control of this opening match of the tournament were put to bed at the start of the fourth quarter as Johnson, Mather, Renders, Pearce, and Dimbylow all scored with just one reply from Czechia through Sofie Pantazopoulou.

The victory sees England top of Group A after one game with Czechia and Wales battling it out in the late game tomorrow.

You can watch the entire game in full HERE.

England points scorers | Wise (4G), Pearce (4G), Ball (1G, 2A), Johnson (1G, 1A), Mather (1G, 1A), Dimbylow (1G, 1A), Evans (1G), Renders (1G), Cant (1A)

Czechia points scorers | E. Pantazopoulou (4G), S. Pantazopoulou (1G), Victorie Štědrá (1G), Markéta Fišerová (1G), Lucie Chottousová (1A)

MVP | Jemma Thomson

Preview | England at the 2023 ELF Women's U21 Lacrosse Championship

On Sunday, England begin their 2023 ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship journey in Prague, Czechia as they look to retain the title they won at the inaugural tournament back in 2018.

That year, the competition was an under-20 Championship but due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s competition was postponed by a year and the age eligibility increased to under-21 to give those who would have missed out due to the pandemic a chance to play.

England begin their 2023 campaign with a pool stage game against hosts Czechia on 2 July in a repeat of the 2018 final; England cruised to a 12-3 victory on that occasion to win the 2018 title with attackers Cece Green and Lucy Devine scoring four and three goals respectively.

England’s second and final pool stage opponents are also a familiar foe in close rivals Wales (4 July) who England defeated 17-2 in the 2018 tournament.

More recently, at the 2023 Home Internationals Series in April, England came out on top once again in perfect preparation for the ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship, eventually winning 19-4.

In recent weeks, the final 18-player squad has had several training weekends as well as three organised scrimmages against top club teams to get some match practice; the warm weather in the UK over the past couple of weeks has also helped the squad to prepare for the heat they could get in Prague.

Head Coach, Vic Alexander, who also coaches at St Catherine’s School, Bramley, leads the team at her first major tournament as England Head Coach after being announced in February 2023.

Alexander came into the Head Coach role after a five-year spell as Head Coach of Italy Women where she worked to successfully develop the programme in the country, taking the Italians to a 13th place finish at the 2019 Women’s Euros and 18th at the 2022 Women’s World Championship.

She is joined by Assistant Coaches Conor Dockery and Georgie Hurt who both come into the ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship off the back of successful The Fly campaigns with Forge Men and Hustle Women respectively.

The team’s backroom staff is completed by Strength & Conditioning Coach, Tom Beresford, Physio, Brett David, and Team Manager, Sophie Tamblyn.

In terms of playing personnel, England come into this tournament with one of the most exciting young teams in Europe with a significant number of players having had hugely successful domestic seasons with their university teams.

Ones to keep an eye on at the tournament include: dynamic impact player and one of England’s captains, Rachael Ball, who has been integral to the success of the University of Nottingham this season and helped Forge to victory at The Fly 2023; one of the youngest members of the squad, Lara Renders, who is a highly creative and versatile player who the whole of England is excited to see perform at this level; and goal-keeper, Sienna Parekh, who is a great communicator and has been really impressive in training, scrimmages against top players, and at The Fly 2023 with Swift.

The 2023 ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship takes place from 2-9 July at the Prazacka Sports Centre in Prague, Czechia and every match of the tournament can be watched via live stream on the tournament website HERE.

For more information about the Championship, visit its official website HERE.

England Pool Stage Fixtures

England v Czechia | 2 July | 15:30 BST

England v Wales | 4 July | 18:00 BST

Tournament Schedule

Opening Ceremony | 2 July | 14:00 BST

Opening Game | England v Czechia | 2 July | 15:30 BST

Pool Stage | 3-5 July

Quarter-Finals | 6 July

Semi-Finals | 7 July

Placement Games | 8-9 July

Final | 9 July | 13:00 BST

Closing Ceremony | 9 July | 14:30 BST