On July 1st, the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship came to a close. The United States and Canada, the number 1 and 2 seeds, played to an electrifying 10-7 conclusion with the US winning their 11th championship.
The indigenous Haudenosaunee nation and Australia finished 3rd and 4th respectively, making up the expected top 4 coming into the tournament.
Newcomer Jamaica joined the regulars Israel, Japan, and England to round out the top 8. The upstart Jamaican team that finished in the top 13 at the 2018 tournament pushed one stage further, beating Italy to make it to the quarter-finals. The matchup finished 7-6 in favor of the Jamaicans, highlighted by a Khairi Sears hat trick. While Jamaica would eventually lose to Canada, their run to the quarterfinals saw them go undefeated in their pool, beating out lacrosse heavyweight Germany. Jamaica lost the 7th place decider to Israel in heartbreaking fashion conceding late and then losing sudden death during overtime.
The eighth-place finish sees the Jamaican team finishing above their Caribbean neighbors, and higher-rated, Puerto Rico to cement themselves as the preeminent team in the region. Khairi Sears finished the competition as Jamaica’s top scorer with 13 goals.
Likkle but we Tallahwah
Jamaican lacrosse is still in its infancy. Over the past 10 years, more high schools have adopted the game establishing a foothold in the local competitive scene. The Jamaica Lacrosse Association is a grassroots program created to foster growth in the scene and develop an internationally competitive team. The organization still partly subsists from community donations, enthusiastic volunteers, and supportive parents. Despite this, the group and the national team have made the most of the circumstances by combining local talent with athletes from around the Jamaican diaspora.
Lacrosse is a 10 v 10 game that is like football (soccer) and hockey. Opposing teams armed with sticks with nets attached try to score as many goals as possible across four 15-minute quarters.
