Ryland Huyghue’s Panama men’s lacrosse team practiced for the first time ever on Thursday. The players met for a second practice Friday before taking part in the 2021 PALA Sixes Cup in Auburndale, Florida.
Last Wednesday, Huyghue spoke optimistically about his team’s chances.
“I’ve been coaching for 37 years, and every game I go into, I look to win. Period,” he said. “We’re going in there to win.”
Fielding a team of heritage players located stateside due to COVID-19, Panama did just that, beating Puerto Rico on Sunday in the championship game.
“We’ve got a few different groups of players who have played together,” Huyghue said. “That’s why I’m pretty confident that with my direction and our game plan, we should be able to execute.”
Panama was recognized as World Lacrosse’s 66th member national governing body on April 22, 2020, and COVID-19 served as a barrier to beginning any sort of competition until this past weekend.
The event featured 10 teams from seven Pan American countries. The PALA hosted both a men’s and women’s tournament, showcasing World Lacrosse’s new Sixes discipline and setting the stage for what PALA president Katherine Loh hopes will be an annual competition.