Phillylacrosse.com, posted 9/23/15
From US Lacrosse
Donny Moss collected a bouncing ball from the boards and took off.
Two defenders chased close behind , but Moss stood alone in front of Canadian goaltender Matt Vinc. Moss tripped and went sprawling, the scoring chance — and the game — seemed to slip away for good as his shot sailed wide left.
Ryan Benesch scored six goals and Matt Vinc was outstanding in the nets as Canada defeated the United States 18-7 Tuesday to improve to 3-0 at the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Indoor Lacrosse Championship.
“The U.S. played real hard,” Team Canada coach Ed Comeau said. “We expected them to give us a good game. There are lots of National Lacrosse League-caliber players on that roster and guys that want to be in the National Lacrosse League. They played tough defensively and took advantage of some chances early. Once we got out of penalty trouble we were able to get control of the game. Our guys played well. Our goaltending was good, our defense was exceptional and our offense moved the ball. We’re happy to get through that one.”
Canada, 3-0, completes the first round against England on Wednesday, has Thursday off, and plays a semifinal Friday against an opponent yet to be determined.
The United States, 2-2, awaits a Thursday quarterfinals opponent. Scoring for the U.S. were Kevin Buchanan with three goals, Joe Walters with two, Jeff Ratcliffe and Joe Resetarits.
Benesch time and again braved traffic in the deep middle of the U.S. end to accept passes and instantaneously toss the ball into top corners of the net.
“We played an all-around pretty good team game,” Benesch said. “Our defense played amazing and Vino was great in net. Guys were moving their feet, moving the ball like we always preach and lanes opened up. Guys were getting good looks at the net and burying them when we got our chances.”
Dhane Smith added three goals for Canada, Zack Greer, Chris Corbeil, Jordan MacIntosh got two each and Mark Matthews one.
Tuesday Results
Australia 12, Finland 8
Australia led from start to finish behind Caleb Hall’s had four goals and two assists and Matthew Taylor’s two goals and five assists in a 12-8 victory. Robert Raittila led Finland with four goals and two assists. Australia will meet Serbia in a consolation bracket game Thursday.
Serbia 16, Turkey 12
Serbia used an 8-2 run bridging the second and third quarters to build a five-goal lead before three straight goals by Anthony Terranova — the top scorer in the tournament — pulled Turkey within two in the fourth quarter. But Alex Gajic and Taylor Yaremovich sealed with 16-12 win for Serbia. Ryan Pavic led the Serbs with five goals. Gajic added four. Terranova had a huge game, scoring nine goals in the losing cause.
Israel 12, Ireland 7
With both teams guaranteed quarterfinal spots, Israel avoided a tough matchup likely with the U.S by defeating Ireland for the second time in three days. Kyle Bergman (Drexel) led the Israelis with four goals in the 12-7 win, while Chad Culp contributed three goals and five assists. Goalie Michael Cregan made 44 saves. Stephen Keogh scored four goals for Ireland, which will play the Blue Division’s No. 4 seed (likely the Czech Republic) in Thursday’s other quarterfinal.
Germany 16, Switzerland 8
Switzerland scored first, but Germany came roaring back with seven unanswered goals and staved off a second-quarter rally by the Swiss to pull away for a 16-8 victory. Brendan Shea scored six goals in the victory. Benjamin Schreiber scored all three of his goals in a 2:12 span that briefly pulled Switzerland within 7-5 early in the second quarter before Germany answered with a three-goal run of its own. The Germans meet Finland in consolation play Friday.
Iroquois Nationals 20, England 6
English goalie Nick Rose was peppered for the second straight day, as the Iroquois put 76 of their 107 shots on goal in a 20-6 blowout victory. Jeff Shattler and Roger Vyse scored five goals apiece, Shattler added four assists and Randy Staats finished with seven assists in the onslaught. Cole Shafer (four goals) was the lone bright spot for England. Rose made 57 saves and allowed 19 goals.
Canada 18, United States 7
Ryan Benesch scored six goals and the Canadian defense limited Team USA to just one second-half goal in an 18-7 victory to clinch the top seed in the Blue Division and a quarterfinal bye. Making his first start of the WILC, goalie Matt Vinc made 37 saves and allowed just seven goals (84 percent). The U.S. lost despite outshooting Canada 70-58, including a 43-40 edge in shots on goal. Kevin Buchanan (three goals) and Casey Powell (six assists) led Team USA.
Wednesday Schedule (Watch Games Here)
England vs. Canada – 4:30 p.m. (Onondaga Arena)
Iroquois Nationals vs. Czech Republic – 7:30 p.m. (Onondaga Arena)