Wales - Ireland 7:12 (3:4)

The Irish team came up against Wales in a battle for fifth place. Ireland started very swiftly, were more active, and led 3:0 only eleven minutes after the first whistle. Wales managed to shot two goals soon after one of the Irish players Jennifer Johnson slipped unluckily. After she have come back, Ireland took over the game again and struck the fourth time. Welsh scored thirty seconds to the end of first half and even equalized in beginning of the second one.

It was Johnson who shot a next goal and sent Ireland to lead. Emma Hawkins was not satisfied with the course of the match and after she shot an equalizer from a free position, she even made a one goal advantage in favor of Wales. However, Ireland soon woke up and seized the lead again after an incredible turnover.

The team Ireland led 10:7 in less than eight minutes to end of the match, but it was interrupted due to storm. Even though Wales were trying hard, they hit just a goalpost in their biggest chance. Ireland assured their victory by augmenting to final 12:7 in last seconds of the game.
 

Comments  

0 #15 hajoda4 2009-07-01 09:25 The Czech Republic never had the culture of „college sports“, being in college and playing sport is fairly hard here and noone really cares that much whether you’re good or what.

There are only 4 women’s teams (excl.1 junior team) from which the Czechs build 1 representation team. Taking all these matters into account, the fact that Czechs are able to play lacrosse at the worl level nearly beating Scotland or Wales is something what I call extraordinary and I cannot be more proud of them.
0 #14 hajoda4 2009-07-01 09:25 Oh no, dont get me wrong.

I am damn PROUD OF THE CZECHS. There’s several reasons for that and it has something to do with our post-communist history as well. Playing field lacrosse used to be quite an expensive sport for Czechs twenty years ago when this kind of lacrosse started to be played here. Even in the late 90’s when I wanted to join, I couldn’t bcoz I didn’t have enough money to buy the lacrosse stick and equipment nor enough energy to be running between college, work and trainings with no sleep and invest all my money into lacrosse as many people I know used to do and still do. Fair play to them.

Now the thing is that all the Czech players speak Czech, got their as you call it “leaving cert“ in the Czech Republic, pay Czech taxes and some of them have been playing lacrosse for more than 10 years in the country actively building the junior teams and investing everything to this rare sport.
+5 #13 Catch22 2009-06-30 23:24 hajoda4: thank you for kind wishes towards the future of lacrosse in Ireland. Let's hope this great game gains the popularity it deserves in the Emerald Isle :)

I think you sell the Czech team short, they played very well in the tournament and very nearly beat Scotland and their support levels were phenomenal. Their drive and determination were clear for all to see. Prague proved to be an excellent (and gorgeous) host city.

A multitude of thanks is due to the Czech Republic for ensuring an excellent World Cup 2009!
+6 #12 Catch22 2009-06-30 23:17 Thank you for highlighting the meaning of the word extraordinary, it is always good to have big words explained.I certainly would class a team coming together, from as you like to point out, both the US and Ireland, with minimal practice time, a miniscule (Def: limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent) amount of funding compared to almost all of the other teams, a very hard route to the quarter finals, having to endure snide comments from supposed supporters of the game and have their integrity as a team questioned on this website as an extraordinary achievement. If, as is suggested they were merely a team of American "ringers" please explain to me how 18 of the cream of Welsh lacrosse players could not beat these 9 Americans, 2 of which were injured during the game and could barely walk? If that is the case then surely that raises questions about the state of lacrosse in the home nations?
The achievement of Team Ireland was nothing short of outstanding!
-8 #11 lacrosse fan 2009-06-30 17:00 There appears to be a difference in perceptions:

"extraordinary" defn. highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable

The bookies makes an interesting starting point - Ireland were certainly not statistical underdogs, once their roster had been seen in action. If you perceive a few all americans winning their games 'extraordinary' then you are mistaken. (but there were irish girls there) - not that got field time in the closer games.

I feel sorry for teams that take the rules the way the they were meant to be read. I respect, forf example, the Koreans, the Japanese,for their participation in this world cup.

Using the internet, the most recent publicity I can find for ireland womens lacrosse is them losing to the USA. (and the seawolves website which says they were unbeaten.

I'd be interested to see the publicity, and delighted to see the contributions of US players lead to the growth of the sport in Ireland on more than a tournament appearance basis/
-1 #10 hajoda4 2009-06-30 12:31 Hmmm… I cant speak for England…but at least in the Czech Republic with having a Czech version of lacrosse (so called Czech lacrosse or "little lacrosse") which is played nowhere else in the world…there are quite a few people who are able to answer that question even though it is with: "Lacrosse? Is it that thing where you're running around and look like you're catching butterflies into your net?" :)

Anyway, I'd like to make it clear that I'm not "crying" here bcoz Czechs were beaten as if I didn't expect anything else but one of the last places anyway (sorry Czech girls), but I understand how bitter can other teams like Scottish or Welsh feel.

Anyway, I really do wish all the best to the future of the Irish lacrosse and (no matter what my brain thinks) I hope with all my heart that this great result will really help lacrosse in Ireland.
+6 #9 Catch22 2009-06-30 09:20 As they have broken no rules, can people just celebrate their extraordinary achievement rather than knocking them all the time. They did what is encouraged by the FIL and just did it better than the other teams. Funnily enough, I doubt people would be complaining if their teams hadn't been beaten.

This topic should now be laid to rest, the negativity is damaging the sport. Ireland, with their eclectic mix of players and minimal preparation time achieved something amazing at this world cup (completely legally), let's give them credit for that and the opportunity to build on it for four years time …

Congratulations to Team Ireland!
+7 #8 Catch22 2009-06-30 09:18 Quote:
in Ireland and everytime I asked I had to explain what "lacrosse" means.

hate to break it to you but lacrosse is a minority sport, most people in the Czech Republic don't know what it is either, neither do most people in England.
That is Ireland's point, the Irish Lacrosse Found. is doing it's utmost to increase the popularity of it within Ireland and what better chance do they have to do this now with 5th n the World and raft of motivated Irish players who have come back greatly enriched from their experience.
People assume the Irish Americans were just there for some gametime but I did anyone actually speak to them? I think any questions over commitment to Ireland was put to rest when Amhrán na bhFiann was bellowed at twice the loudness of any other anthem, especially Star Spangled Banner during the USA match. It is grossly unfair to assume they will just "wall display" their shirt when in actual fact you have a number of players hugely committed to Irish Lacrosse.
-6 #7 hajoda4 2009-06-29 16:45 (comment no.2)
I didn't live in Dublin, but still, lacrosse is definitely not played at the University of Limerick or Galway or Cork, which are three other big cities after Dublin. Even though I will always be a fan of both the Czech Republic and Ireland as well, I just find the conditions under which Irish team was let to enter the world cup unfair to the others no matter how much it can "help" the sport in Ireland. That is not an argument - at least for me.
-5 #6 hajoda4 2009-06-29 16:45 I had very ambiguous feelings when I learned that the Czech Republic was gonna play Ireland in the world cup. I am Czech, but I spent the past four years in Ireland, so I wished the best to both teams. I could follow only scraps of videos online and the web results. But the final results that I've seen were completely unbelievable for me as it was the Czech's "worst" peformance score-wise uptil then. I could not believe and I still cant how it is possible that the Czech Republic would achieve a way better score against Wales and Scotland and so miserably "failed" against Ireland which was supposed to be a fresher.
I've been desperately trying to find some lacrosse teams while I lived in Ireland and everytime I asked I had to explain what "lacrosse" means. (to be continued..)