Good showing for Nationals at Heritage Cup
Despite the crummy weather at Rider University in New Jersey, all levels of the Haudenosaunee Junior Nationals gave it their all at the 2026 Heritage Cup. Courtesy Haudenosaunee Junior Nationals
Six Haudenosaunee Junior Nationals squads - three boys’ teams and three girls’ teams – did well in representing their communities in the 2026 edition of the Heritage Cup field lacrosse tournament at Rider University in New Jersey.
The U13 boys came back home with a silver medal, while the U15 boys were defeated in the bronze medal game, and the U19 boys just missed out on the medal rounds due to tiebreakers. (Update: Following the disqualification of the U15 gold medal team for having overage players, the U15 Nationals have been awarded bronze.)
“We feel great about the boys’ performance this weekend. We went out there after having essentially no practices. We’ve got a really talented group of kids who are really motivated to get better,” said Wil Chuch, an assistant coach for the U15 boys’ team; that team has Bronx Nelson, from Kahnawake, as part of their roster.
Even with the cold, wet weather that persisted most of the weekend, the players came together as a team and played very well, winning all four of their round robin games.
“The way that our boys bonded together right off the bat, and the idea of ‘we’re here, let’s have fun with it,’ it was awesome,” said Chuch.
The U15 team was defeated 7-0 in the semifinals against eventual silver medalists Greece, and faced Korea for bronze.
Unfortunately, a racist incident involving an official using what Chuch called “derogatory language” directed towards some of the parents, players, and coaches of the Haudenosaunee team forced the game to be ended early, with Korea winning 5-4.
Chuch said the incident is being addressed, and while it was a disappointing way for their tournament to end, he believes this, along with their on-field performance, could serve as an opportunity for growth for the players.
“We’re seeing how talented we are with that start of the tournament. Our boys are really close together. This is horrible weather, they can still play through it.
“And then on top of that, we have this lived experience where we are seeing somebody acting inappropriately, and then the players see the coaches adjust it, and so we have this bonding experience through this crappy experience. I think if anything, it might be positive for us, to lean on each other and trust each other more for the rest of the tournaments,” said Chuch, who is Potawatomi.
Eric Bartlett, also an assistant coach with the U15 Junior Nationals with Chuch, said that the staff took advantage of the tournament to experiment with some of the players’ positions, to help give them more opportunities for playing time in the future by giving them experience all over the field.
“I think it’s important that they understand the whole game. I was a goaltender in college, but in Senior B, I played out. You become a student of the game by learning these different positions and trying out kids at different positions,” said Bartlett, who is in his fourth year with the Nationals program.
“The benefit is seeing a lot more game time, and it also helps you understand the game from different perspectives. As a goalie, I like to learn offence, because I could anticipate and direct the defense to what that particular offensive set is trying to accomplish,” said Bartlett.
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Al Jones, who coached the U19 Nationals to an overall record of 4-2, said that as the summer continues at the Nationals play in more tournaments, his team, and the rest of the program, will get better as they get more playing time together.
“I’m happy, I’m very proud of these kids, because coming in, they are almost fresh faces. Some of them, they weren’t comfortable yet because most of them just finished their high school seasons where you would play all year with the same team, and you feel more comfortable taking more risks, more shots, that usually you wouldn’t,” said Jones.
With 17 teams in their pool, many of which are strong club teams that play together all the time, Jones said field lacrosse continues to be in good shape as a sport the world over - and with it, the Nationals program also continues to grow, setting itself up for a bright future.
Full results for the tournament can be found at heritagecuplax.com
