GUILDFORD, ENGLAND – Canada suffered a setback in their 2017 FIL Rathbones Women’s Lacrosse World Cup journey, falling 17-3 at the hands of the defending champion United States in a round-robin game on Sunday. The loss was the team’s first of the tournament, after opening with three straight wins.
It was a tale of two halves for the Canadian squad.
They went toe-to-toe with the Americans in the first half, matching them on the scoreboard while also controlling the majority of the draws. But, a relentless attack from a deep and talented U.S. roster would wear down a Canadian defense already dealing with injuries, allowing them to dominate the final 30 minutes.
“I thought we got out to a fantastic start,” said head coach Scott Teeter. “After the first 25-minutes it was 4-2.”
The Americans would go on to score four straight in the final seven minutes of that half to pull away, entering the break with a 7-2 lead.
“We had a couple opportunities were we could’ve gotten a better look at goal and finished,” he added. “If we finish those within the first half, we’re right in the game.”
The U.S. carried their momentum into the second half, scoring 10 unanswered goals to put the game away. Nine different players found the back of the net, and seven of those scorers finished the game with at least two points.
“Today’s game showed the depth of the U.S.,” stated Teeter. “They were running two lines, while we were really only running one. Some fatigue set in for us and our stick skills got a little lazy. I think that was the difference.”
Despite the final score of the contest, coach Teeter was quick to praise the Peterborough-based goaltending tandem of Katie Donohoe and Allison Daley, both of whom made some tremendous saves.
“Katie kept us in the game in the first half,” stated Teeter. “Both goalies made the saves they should make and probably a handful each on shots that should’ve been goals.”
Captain Dana Dobbie scored her ninth of the tournament, while Syracuse University teammates Taylor Gait and Alie Jimerson rounded out the scoring for the Canada, each getting one.
“Moving forward, I think we need to work on the little things,” said Gait, who scored in her third straight game. “We had some missed passes, some overthrows, and didn’t get enough of those 50/50 ground balls, but those are all things that we can work on and improve.”
“I think the next time we see them, hopefully in the finals, it’ll be a different game.”
After playing four straight games to open the tournament, the Canadians have a well deserved day off tomorrow. They’re back in action on Tuesday, July 18 at 1:00PM EST against host England in their final round robin game.
The game can be streamed live from anywhere in Canada through a pay-per-view webcast provided by www.247.tv.
