The 2019 Women’s Lacrosse U19 World Championships kicked off for Team Canada today as the team played their first game against England. Canada won 18-8, starting off strong as they defend their 2015 gold medal.

 

Eve Hritzuk lead the way with five goals, scoring the first goal of the game. Kylea Dobson scored four goals including one in the last minute of the game—securing an 18-8 win over Team England.

 

“I thought it was a great job opening up,” said Scott Teeter, head coach of Team Canada. “I thought our work ethic was there tonight. It was definitely a step forward from our exhibition game against Australia. We’ve got a long way to go, there’s some stuff that we need to work on, but I’m very proud of the girls tonight and their effort.”

 

The stands were filled with friends and family of the Team Canada athletes, as well as lacrosse fans and supporters. The energy was high in the stands and on the field.

 

“I think the game was awesome. We came out and set the tone for ourselves,” said Bianca Chevarie, one of the Team Canada captains. “We really brought it. It was a good chance for us to see how we compared and to run our pays and make adjustments. It was a great game.”

 

Chevarie was named as one of the team’s captains along with  Mackenzie Beam and Charlotte Smith. She played in the 2017 Women’s Lacrosse Senior World Championship.

 

“It was a surreal feeling to be honest,” said Bianca about playing her first World Cup game as a captain. “Not only playing with these girls as if I’m another player, but to be able to lead them and help them is an even better feeling.”

 

Tonight’s game is the start of three consecutive days of games for Canada. They face Australia on Saturday August 3 at 5 p.m. ET.

All of the games can be streamed live for free. Visit Lax Sports Network (http://laxsn.com).