Unreal moment
Jamaica’s Lacrosse team books quarterfinal berth with upset over Italy
Published:Wednesday | June 28, 2023 | 1:52 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
UNBEATEN, UNDETERRED and now undeniable.
Jamaica continued to carve their slice of history in the Men’s Lacrosse World Championship, guaranteeing their highest-ever finish in the tournament’s history after beating Italy 7-6 in the first round of the play-offs yesterday in San Diego.
Led by a hat trick from Khairi Sears, two goals from Marcus Minichello and six saves from goalkeeper Nate McPeak, the Jamaicans, who were seeded 10th, scored the upset against the seventh-seeded Italians to continue their unbeaten run in the tournament and book their first-ever quarterfinal berth.
It is a moment that Sears described as emotional as the Jamaicans continued to turn heads at the tournament, answering every question asked of them.
“It’s an unreal moment. It’s a blessing and privilege to make history for the kids back home. For every player that looks like us, like me. You get emotional thinking about it. We are not done yet, but it feels amazing,” Sears told WorldLacrosse.sportJamaica had to fend off a furious Italian rally in the fourth quarter but McPeak made the crucial save with time running out to book a quarterfinal showdown with Canada today. The win secured at minimum, a top-eight finish, their best ever at a World Championship, having finished 13th in 2018.
For attacker Stone Evans, the win represented something bigger for the sport in Jamaica, maximising the potential that they believed they had.
“Our passion and our pride are big, knowing the kids on the island are watching, something like this hasn’t happened yet in Jamaican history. Just knowing that we can do something great really drives us,” Evans said.
It is that drive that head coach Mark Wilson said Jamaica would need as well as the intensity if they wanted to go far in the tournament, an intensity that he is pleased they have maintained.