Offense Stays Hot as USA Beats Rival Australia at The World Games

After a wild back-and-forth flurry to open the game, the United States pulled away from longtime rival Australia, posting a 25-13 victory in pool play at The World Games in Chengdu, China. The victory moved the USA into first place in Group B with a 2-0 record while Australia slipped to 1-1.

Canada, the gold medalist at the most recent World Games in 2022, edged Great Britain 14-10 earlier in the day to move on top in Group A with a 2-0 record. The USA (silver) and Australia (bronze) were the other medalists in 2022.

The two teams combined for five goals in the opening two minutes of play and the score was tied 4-4 midway through the opening quarter, but the U.S. defense settled down and Ellie Masera, Charlotte North and Chloe Humphrey scored goals to end the quarter and give the U.S. a 7-4 lead.

USA goalie Shea Dolce then turned away five shots in the second quarter as the U.S. offense kept clicking to stretch the lead to 13-6 at the half. A 10-goal third quarter for the U.S. put the game out of reach, though Australia outscored the U.S. 6-2 in the final quarter.

The U.S. offense moved the ball well throughout the game, finishing with 21 assists on its 25 goals, including a one-goal, seven-assist outing from Kenzie Kent. Ellie Masera, the lone U.S. holdover from the 2022 World Games roster, continued her hot tournament with three goals and four assists for seven points, giving her 16 points in the first two games. Masera had 19 points to rank second on the team in scoring during the 2022 event in Birmingham, Ala.

Izzy Scane was the USA’s leading goal scorer with six goals, scoring on all six of her shots in the game. The U.S. defense pressured Australia into 16 turnovers, compared to just seven for the U.S. squad.

Dolce played the first half and made six saves while Taylor Moreno closed out the second half making four saves.

Recent Loyola grad Georgia Latch, who finished third in the NCAA with 127 points this season, led Australia with six points on two goals and four assists. Hannah Nielsen, a two-time Tewaaraton winner during her playing days at Northwestern and now the head coach at Michigan, led Australia with four goals.

The U.S. concludes pool play against Czechia with a 9 a.m. local start time on August 9, which is 9 p.m. on August 8 (Eastern time). The game is available to watch with free streaming on World Lacrosse TV.