Five One-Goal Games Define Crazy WLBC Wednesday

It may have been an off-day for the title contenders, but Wednesday provided plenty of dramatics at the World Lacrosse Box Championships. 

Of the 12 games played Wednesday at the WLBC, five were decided by one-goal. The first was a dramatic 14-13 victory for Chinese Taipei over Team Hong Kong. Jalen Chaster scored to put Hong Kong ahead 13-12 with just over five minutes remaining, but back to back goals from Jack Burns sealed the victory. The game winner came with just 1:18 remaining on the clock to seal the victory. 

Burns channeled Lyle Thompson on the game winner, with a diving dunk goal.

Burns (who scored 56 goals last year at Emerson College), led all scorers in the game with 5 goals and 4 assists. Chaster led the Hong Kong side with 3 goals and 5 assists. 

Just a few hours later, Team Austria beat Team Switzerland 10-9 in another crazy WLBC affair. Klaus Hauer had the game winner for the Austrians with just over two minutes remaining in a game that Switzerland led 5-0 at one point. Gerhard Probst led the scoring for the Austrians with 4 goals and an assist, while Josh Dawick had 3 goals and 2 assists and Klaus Hauer had 2 goals and 3 assists. 

Prost broke out a nice celly in this one as well.

Matthew Trautman and Lukas Heri had three goals each for the Swiss. 

In one of the craziest games of the whole WLBC, the USVI team beat Team Jamaica in overtime, with the final tally coming from Phillip Melecio. Melecio crashed the net off a USVI shot, and deposited the rebound to the back of the net. That came after Jamaica’s Tanner Sims tied the game with just 33 seconds remaining. 

Melecio finished with 3 goals and 2 assists, while Dante Poli led the scoring for the USVI with 5 goals and 4 assists. Damon Edwards had 3 goals and 5 assists for Jamaica, while Tanner Sims had one of the games of the tournament, finishing with 7 goals. Sims plays his college lacrosse at Flagler college. 

But the highest drama was left for the playoff rounds, with births in the quarterfinals on the line. In the first of two epic afternoon playoff games, Ireland used a three-goal run in the final eight minutes to secure a 21-11 victory over Team Australia. Luke Coppinger had two goals to bring the team even, then Brendan O’Sullivan scored the game winner. 

Coppinger had 4 goals along with Pat Corbett, while O’Sullivan added three more. Devlin Shanahan was excellent between the pipes for Ireland. Australia’s Jesse Whinnen was fantastic in this one as well, finishing with six goals and an assist.

And maybe the craziest game of all was reserved for the nightcap, where Finland lost 17-16 to Team Israel. Finland’s Brett Kujala scored with 29 seconds remaining in regulation to bring it within one, but Israel held on just long enough to secure the victory. Former Vancouver Warrior Jean-Luc Chetner had the game-winner for team Israel. 

Chetner was one of four Israel players to score hat-tricks, along with Beau Chetner, Zach Pall, and Parker Pipher. Kujala had 6 goals for the Fins, whole Roope Jokela and Jarno Aaltonen had 3 goals each. 

That game solidified the quarterfinal matchups, which begin at the top of the hour with Japan vs Canada. Then England will play Czechia at 1:00 PM, Haudenosaunee will play Israel at 4:00 PM, and USA will take on the Irish in the nightcap at 7:00 PM. 

The action has been incredible all week, and promises to just get crazier!