Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/19/12
From Press Release
Matt Kavanagh tallied four goals and two assists while Connor Buczek also had four goals and Kyle Keenan had two goals and three assists Wednesday as the US routed Germany, 22-2, in the quarterfinals of the Federation of International Lacrosse U19 World Championships at Turku, Finland.
The U.S. (3-2) advances to play the second-seeded Iroquois (3-1) in the semifinal round at 8 p.m. (1 p.m. EST) on Thursday in Finland. The Iroquois beat the U.S. 15-13 on Tuesday in both teams’ final pool play game. It was the first time an Iroquois Nationals team defeated the U.S. in international field competition.
U.S. goalie Kyle Turri started the game in net, making one save. Zach Oliveri played the second half as the U.S. defense was not largely tested.
On Tuesday night, several hours after a 15-13 loss to Iroquois, the U.S. team held a players’ only meeting for about two hours, discussing what happened and plans for rebounding in the medal rounds.
What appeared on the field Wednesday was a result of that meeting. The U.S. led 9-1 at halftime before scoring nine third-quarter goals.
Midfielder Ryan Tucker did not play against Germany as a precautionary measure after suffering a shoulder injury in the loss to the Iroquois. He stood on the sideline with his arm in a sling, but is expected to play Thursday in the rematch.
Joey Leonard added two goals and two assists while Danny Eipp and Matt Florence notched hat tricks against the Germans. Charlie Raffa also scored twice. Germany goaltender Linus Dörr made 13 saves before being lifted in the third quarter.
Top-seeded Canada (4-0) faces England, a 17-8 winner over the Czech Republic on Wednesday, in Thursday’s first semifinal at 5 p.m. in Finland. The championship game will be played at 4 p.m. Saturday. The U.S. has won all six gold medals contested since sanctioned U19 international competition began in 1988.
Federation of International Lacrosse U19 World Championships
USA 5 4 9 4 – 22
GER 1 0 1 0 – 2
Goals: USA – Buczek 4, Kavanagh 4, Eipp 3, Florence 3, Keenan 2, Leonard 2, Raffa 2, Danseglio 1, Mahon 1; GER – Wennemann 2
Assists: USA – Keenan 3, Kavanagh 2, Leonard 2, D’Agostino 1, Jahelka 1, Zoppo 1
Saves: USA – Turri 1; GER – Eakins 13, Dörr 1
