Grow the Game®

China lacrosse
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Sons of China: We Grew the Game

Editor’s Note: Dylan Bassham keeping us filled in on what’s goin’ on with the Chinese National Team and their first trip to the World Lacrosse Championship. This is Dylan’s last post from China’s trip to the States.

Character

Over the last couple of days, we found our identity. We found out that we can do anything we want if we come together as a team and fight. In a game against Korea, all hope seemed lost at halftime. We were down 9-2 but never hung our heads. We knew we were better than that and set out to defy the odds and show everyone what we were made of.

Faceoff man Mikey Tsiang, a rising senior at Villanova, took over in the second half and could not lose possession. With his help, our offense started firing on all cylinders as well. We fought and clawed our way back to win by a final score of 16-15. This win showed what kind of character we had as a team. It showed that determination can defy odds. It showed that China Lacrosse was team not to be taken for granted.

That night, we had a dinner at a local and traditional Chinese restaurant to celebrate all of the hard work EVERYONE contributed in bringing the first lacrosse team from China to participate in the world championships.

There were good speeches, good laughs, and good food shared by all as we finally realized what a journey this truly was. However, our campaign still was not over. We had one last match against the darlings of the tournament, Uganda, in the 33rd place match.

Grow The Game

We came out fast and fired up. For some, this would be the last time we would ever be able to represent our country. For others, this was the last game we could showcase our abilities and our belief that we deserved a better place than 33rd.

Both teams battled hard, but thanks to our coaching, we were able to shut down the athletic Uganda offense by using a zone defense and came out on top 14-7.

China Uganda Lacrosse Teams

Although we earned a better record than other teams that placed higher than us, we were stuck playing for a lower place than we felt deserved because we started off in a tough green division with the Netherlands, Italy, and Norway. Had we gone head to head with some teams that placed higher than us, we believe that we would have won. However, that’s just the way it goes.

This has certainly been a journey for all of us. For everyone involved in the China Lacrosse Association, this was a dream come true and surpassed any expectations.

We finished 3-4, but more importantly, we helped grow the game. The Chinese players will return home with this once in a lifetime experience, playing with the best competition in the world, and pass it on to future generations of Chinese lacrosse players. The World Championships are a celebration of the sport and about growing the game.

China Lacrosse feels honored to be able to participate in the biggest lacrosse tournament in the world. We want to thank everyone involved in putting the tournament together. We want to thank all of our supporters.

Tyler Buchan China lacrosse

Lastly, a big deserved congratulations for China Lacrosse attackman Tyler Buchan for having the most goals in the entire tournament with 35 goals.

Thank you, and Grow The Game.