SPARKS, Md. — The best rivalry in international lacrosse lived up to the billing Sunday at USA Lacrosse.
Less than 24 hours after suffering its third one-goal defeat to Canada in the last four years, the U.S. Boys' U19 Youth National Team earned revenge with an 8-7 victory over its neighbor to the north in the Brogden Cup championship game.
Trailing by two goals in the final minute, Canada scored twice in a 20-second span to tie the game at 7 with 25 seconds remaining. USA’s Gentry Curtis won the ensuing faceoff, which midfielder Michael van Bastelaar scooped off the wing and carried straight to goal. His runner from 10 yards out with 11 seconds left was the game winner.
A forever moment in a forever game for Michael vanBastelaar, who scored the winning goal with just seconds remaining to beat Canada 8-7 and give the USA the U19 Brogden Cup. pic.twitter.com/qjUzsd1Sjq
— USA Lacrosse (@USA_Lacrosse) September 27, 2026
It was the second one-goal contest between the teams in as many days, following Canada’s 7-6 victory in round robin play Saturday. They were the most competitive and dramatic finishes among the 38 Brogden Cup games played over the past three days across three age divisions.
“The ground ball just happened to come to me and I was fortunate to get an open shot,” said van Bastelaar, the La Salle (Pa.) senior who is committed to Notre Dame. “I didn’t really feel any pressure. I try to keep a level head when I play so the less I think about it, the better I think I play.”
While previous iterations of the Brogden Cup determined a champion using a points system across all divisions, this year’s champions were determined through bracket play for each division.
With wins over the U.S. and the Haudenosaunee in round-robin play Saturday, Canada secured the top seed in the U19 boys' division and with it, a berth in the championship game. That forced the U.S. squad into a Sunday morning semifinal game against the Haudenosaunee, needing a win to earn a spot in the U19 final and a chance to avenge its earlier loss against Canada.
One day after posting a 15-2 win against the Haudenosaunee, the U.S. team once again dominated, jumping to an 8-0 first-quarter lead en route to a 12-1 victory, setting up the championship rematch against Canada.
“This was my first time putting on a USA jersey, but the coaches talked to us about the rivalry, so it was a special thing to win this game,” van Bastelaar said.
“No matter what the outcome is, we’re together,” said U.S. goalie Ben Watson, who split time in cage with Brennan Reilly and made several acrobatic saves in the closing minutes. “You really don’t feel the pressure. It’s about keeping a clear head in these tight games so you can make a play. This was super fun.”
