Haudenosaunee men win bronze at Worlds
The men’s Haudenosaunee Nationals team turned a slow start into a bronze medal last weekend at the World Lacrosse Box Championships in Utica, New York.
The team started their tournament 0-2, losing 16-9 to Team USA and 13-10 to Team Canada – the two eventual finalists.
Once Haudenosaunee started playing against lower-seeded nations, their offensive firepower really started to show itself.
They beat England handily 18-2 on September 24, and followed that with another lopsided victory, this time scoring 24 times against the sixth-ranked team in the world while only allowing six.
In the semifinals, Haudenosaunee faced off against the United States once again, with the game being much closer this time.
After being down 3-0 early, Haudenosaunee tied things up and both teams exchanged goals until the 45 minute mark, when Haudenosaunee went up 11-9.
But, the USA scored three times in three minutes, and with six minutes left, they took the game and their ticket to the finals against Canada.
Still, Haudenosaunee had a chance to compete for a medal, in a rematch against England. Once again, they thoroughly dominated their opponents in the bronze medal game, winning 14-5.
The bronze medal continues an unbroken streak for the men’s team, where they have medaled in every edition of the World Lacrosse Box Championships since 2003.
Locals Trey Deere and Koleton Marquis were both making their debut for the men’s team in this year’s tournament, and they both made their mark in their own way.
Deere played in four games, notching four goals and adding three assists, including scoring during their bronze medal game against England.
Marquis, meanwhile, appeared in just one game for Haudenosaunee - but he made the most of it.
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In his debut for the team against Israel, Marquis scored six times on just seven shots on goal. He also added two more assists during the game.
Many of them were highlight-reel worthy, too: two of the goals were scored while diving headfirst to avoid a defender, and all but one involved faking shots against the goaltender.
The bronze medal win meant a bronze sweep for Haudenosaunee, as the women’s team won the first-ever bronze medal given for women’s lacrosse at the World Lacrosse Box Championships.
