TODAY is the big day! Lacrosse fans are ready to smash the FIL attendance record by packing thousands of passionate members of our community into Syracuse University’s world-famous Carrier Dome for the 2015 WILC.
CANADA v IROQUOIS NATIONALS
Although the GOLD MEDAL game is a repeat of 2003, 2007 & 2011, there is much more at stake for the host nation, the Iroquois Nationals (5-1), as the games have been played this whole time on their home soil and thousands of people of Native descent will be filing in to help cheer the boys to their very first finish as #1 in the world.
That is if they can beat the bigger and badder Canadians (6-0) who have used WILC 2015 to continue their nation’s undefeated streak of WILC play. The Canadians have blown the doors off all of their opponents in the event, that is except for when they played the Iroquois the first time around. A controversial too-many men call, which was 100% correct, wiped a Jeff Shattler goal off the board and led Canada to a power play goal and then another tally immediately after, squashing the Iroquois lead. Canada never looked back. But this is a brand new game, and the outcome is anything but certain.
Lyle Thompson is leading the scoring charts for the Nationals. notching 15 goals while Mark Matthews for Canada is just a step behind with 14 totals scores. Look for these guys to continue to shine, but don’t be surprised to see plenty of other well-known box stars put up some serious points. This game guarantees to be excellent, no matter who wins, so make sure you check out the two best box nations in the world today!
USA v ISRAEL
If there’s a nation that would be happy to see new results on the podium, it is newcomer Israel (6-2). The United States (3-3) has almost earned their way to a BRONZE MEDAL by default over the previous WILC competitions, and while they have been challenged in the past, this time there is a fast and strong Israeli team that isn’t just satisfied to earn a spot in the Blue Division, they want to bring home a medal to Israel along with the 2019 games!
USA’s Joe Walters is #8 for total points in the tournament with 37 while Israel’s Chad Culp is two seats back with 35. The USA will have their work cut out for them at the draw circle, as Cole McCormack has been dominating the draws for Israel while the US has rotated Reynolds, Costabile and Hotaling at the face to keep the guys fresh.
Sunday Goaltending
Goaltending is sure to be a highlight of tonight’s action, all 3 of Canada’s keepers are shoulder to shoulder for the highest save percentages in the games while Angus Goodleaf has been making the Iroquois defense really look good. Zach Higgens for Israel has been standing on his head game after game, a major contributor to Israel’s success while Dave Mather and Jake Henhawk have had no major struggles to fit in with Team USA and make big saves when called upon.
Oh Penalty, Where Art Thou?
Another interesting tidbit, all four teams sitting at the bottom of the list in penalty minutes are the same four teams playing for a medal today. This could easily change, and likely will, since the US are only one minute ahead of the Swiss, but it’s worth noting that many of the more disciplined teams are the ones that are still standing on the final day.
How To Watch
All of this adds up to be an excellent recipe for an epic afternoon! Meet us at the Dome today at 1pm to watch the United States take on Team Israel to be followed immediately by Canada and the Iroquois Nationals battling it out for a gold medal in front of an electrified crowd at 4pm. This is the first time box lacrosse will be played in the Carrier Dome and the event serves as the first time the Iroquois have been granted the right to host a world sporting competition, who know what other first we may see during the big games this afternoon!
If you can’t make it to the game in person, check out the Gold Medal Game LIVE on Universal Sports. Check your local guide for channel listings.
