BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The U.S. women’s Sixes locker room was quiet when coaches Regy Thorpe and Mandee O’Leary addressed the team for the final time at The World Games.

O’Leary thanked her team for their effort and the way they built chemistry over the six-day international event. Thorpe gave credit to the Canadians’ veteran team that won gold, and encouraged the 12 players on the Sixes team to use Saturday night’s defeat as a learning experience.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — With 30 seconds remaining in the first quarter of Friday’s matchup between the U.S. and Great Britain’s Women’s Sixes teams, Ellie Masera was lurking.

The U.S. faced a man-down situation, one of few during The World Games, and the incoming sophomore at Stony Brook found herself guarding Claire Faram when a pass was sent her way. Masera’s instincts kicked in — see ball, get ball.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The looks on the faces of the U.S. women’s Sixes team as they walked off the field were ones of excitement, and a bit of relief. After two days of up-and-down play against Japan and Australia, the U.S. got what it wanted.

As the sun set over PNC Field in Birmingham, Alabama, coaches Mandee O’Leary and Regy Thorpe could focus not just on adjustments from the game that just ended, but look ahead to The World Games semifinals — and what they were getting for dinner at Jim & Nick’s BBQ.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The message was clear inside the U.S. women’s Sixes team huddle on the practice field prior to its matchup with Japan.

As the 12-player roster leaned in to hear a message delivered by the few veterans, Haley Hicklen offered a simple suggestion.

“Let’s start the way we ended last game,” she said.

The message was met with nods of approval as they headed toward PNC Field for the second game of The World Games — the international competition featuring lacrosse for the second time.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — As the U.S. women’s Sixes team walked off PNC Field at halftime of their The World Games opener against Australia — a half characterized by a few growing pains — Belle Smith pulled Madison Doucette aside.

The U.S. had struggled to find its offense early on and trailed Australia after one quarter. Doucette was locked in, keeping her team in the game, but both could sense the Australian team was tiring,

“‘Hey, I do transition at BC,’” Smith told Doucette. “‘That’s my job. Hit me.’” 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – World Lacrosse Sixes is set for its debut at the global level with 16 men’s and women’s teams taking the field at the 11th edition of The World Games starting Friday at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s PNC Field. Ninety-six of the sport’s top athletes from around the world will help make lacrosse history at the multi-sport event, which is returning to the United States for the first time since its 1981 debut in Santa Clara, California.  

The World Games has announced the schedule for the men's and women's lacrosse events this summer and the U.S. men will play Germany, Great Britain and Australia in pool play. The U.S. women will play Australia, Japan and the Czech Republic during pool play.

The full release from World Lacrosse follows:

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, USA – The World Games announced the schedule for the men’s and women’s Lacrosse Sixes competitions this July in Birmingham, Alabama.

SPARKS, Md. — USA Lacrosse has named the 24 players (12 men, 12 women) that will represent the United States at The World Games 2022, a multi-sport competition that will feature over 3,600 athletes from more than 100 countries competing in 34 sports from July 7-17 in Birmingham, Ala.

SPARKS, Md. — USA Lacrosse has named the coaching staffs for the U.S. teams that will compete in The World Games 2022 this summer in Birmingham, Ala. The World Games is an Olympic-style, multisport event that will feature men’s and women’s lacrosse using the new Sixes discipline developed by World Lacrosse.

BOX SCORES

SPARKS, Md. — This time last year, Kyla Sears and Marge Donovan were separated by more than 2,000 miles. Sears was based in Utah and working remotely for a strategic communications firm. Donovan was in her home state of Maryland, learning about lacrosse sticks in a whole new light as a mechanical engineering intern with a focus on prototype testing at STX in Baltimore — not far from her hometown of Catonsville.