Midfield Might Pushes U.S. Past Israel and Into Gold Medal Game

TOKYO — For the first time in the World Lacrosse Women’s Championship, the U.S. Women’s National Team was truly tested — if only briefly.

Israel tied the United States at 3 midway through the first quarter, then the U.S. rattled off seven straight to build a cushion. Ally Mastroianni (12 draw controls) continued her strong tournament showing to flip the field in the second half, and it seemed like Israel hardly had possession late as the U.S. advanced with a 19-7 win after a 40-minute lightning delay at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium.

Sydney Scales was named the player of the match with three caused turnovers and two ground balls.

The U.S. plays rival Canada on Sunday at 7 p.m. local time (6 a.m. Eastern) for the gold medal.

“Any USA-Canada matchup is going to be a good one. A gold medal’s on the line,” said Mastroianni, who fell one draw control shy of tying her own single-game U.S. record. “This is what we dream of. This is why we compete to get to this level and to win that gold medal.”

Having still never trailed in a game during the tournament, the U.S. had to shake off a slow start before gaining steam. Israel, which will play in the third-place game against Haudenosaunee, successfully limited entry passes inside, forcing the U.S. to adjust into a more dodge-first style.

That’s where the midfield shined. There isn’t a faster midfield in the world than this one, and their dodges forced slides that opened opportunities in close. Seven of the teams 19 goals game from midfielders, led by Eliza Osburn’s three.

“I think we just weren't connecting right off the bat,” said Osburn, the youngest player on a U.S. women’s senior team in the program’s history. “The looks were there. Everyone is playing unselfish. Maybe a little too unselfish. … That's a great thing to have. You'd rather be unselfish than have a selfish player.”

Emma LoPinto put the U.S. ahead 3-1 with 8:02 left in the first quarter, but Jordyn Lipkin followed with goals on consecutive possessions for Israel, knotting the score at 3.

The U.S. took the lead for good when Ally Kennedy picked up a ground ball off a Rachel Rosenberg turnover and scored just four seconds later. Osburn then opened the scoring in the second quarter by breaking the ankles of her defender at the top of the fan and scoring on the run.

She said she didn’t even realize she dropped her defender until her teammates told her.

“She's just so athletic,” Mastroianni said of Osburn. “It's just a spark all over the field.”

The lead ballooned to 10-3, and the U.S. entered the half up 10-4. Israel made things interesting out of the break, as goals by Shira Parower and Sam Fisher cut the deficit to 10-6.

But the U.S. responded with nine unanswered, a spurt that included four of Madison Taylor’s game-high five goals.

“I think in any big game with a really great opponent, you just adjust and see how they're playing, but I think we stuck to our game plan and really got our momentum back,” Mastroianni said. “And then there was no turning back then.”

The United States is seeking its fifth consecutive gold medal and 10th overall. The U.S. and Canada have met in each of the last three finals, including an 11-8 victory for the United States in 2022.

A slow start against Canada would be less than ideal, as Canada is certainly a step up from Israel. But the U.S. faced adversity for the first time and conquered it, a valuable lesson to learn before the gold medal game.

“No one needs to be a hero,” Mastroianni said. “We have enough talent to take on any opponent.”