MENS REPORT – After two days in the scorching Dutch sun, the defending champion Dublin Lacrosse men’s team finished in style by claiming a hard fought 3rd place in this year’s Amsterdam Lowlands Tournament. Drawn in Group B amongst the Vienna Cherokees, Bremen Lacrosse and a Dutch All Stars team, it seemed a tough task for the mere 12-man side to undertake. Despite this, and even in the harsh pitch and weather conditions, they managed to gel together quickly as a unit and produce some fine lacrosse.
They got off to a rocky start by losing their opening game to Vienna, but from then on put together good performances to brush aside Bremen and the Dutch All Stars sides. This put them into the semi-finals, mirroring last year’s Lowlands final against Spencer Lacrosse of England. Spencer were to gain revenge for last year’s game by taking their chances well and earning a deserved victory – setting themselves up for the final against a very strong and talented Amsterdam Lions team who were tournament hosts.
Dublin then took on the Vienna Cherokees once more to battle it out for 3rd place. With the score tied took full advantage of. With an assist from Ireland attacker Sean Bodie, Dublin captain and Ireland midfielder Mike Kennedy came up with the winning goal and gave Dublin the finish they thoroughly deserved.
The final was likewise a tight affair between Spencer and the Amsterdam Lions, with the hosts winning in overtime.
Big thanks must go to all the players who played on behalf of Dublin at the tournament and we once again look forward to returning next year to try and win back the coveted Lowlands trophy.
WOMENS REPORT – Arriving in Lowlands with eight players, 4 from U.C.D. and 4 from the Irish National team, the Dublin Girls team had a challenging weekend ahead. After adopting 3 Bristol Lacrosse players the team began the tournament one woman down! Despite having never played as a team before the three factions gelled mere minutes into their first match against Karlsruhe. While the line of Karlsruhe subs was daunting and envying to the Dublin side, especially in such epic heat, the Dublin girls emerged victorious after a hard fought game of lacrosse. The next match saw the team take on the all-star American team Gin and Juice. With one of Dublin’s players struck mid match by an old knee injury, the team continued on two players down. While they fought hard, they were playing a team from a completely different league, and lost. The next day saw the addition of an American player MK who stepped in to help after Maeve’s knee injury forced her to stop playing. The Dutch national team proved a formidable side also, giving the girls from the Irish team a preview of the team they will be facing later this month in the World Cup. Two victories over the Dutch all star team and in the fifth place playoff against Karlsruhe left the team coming in fifth place in the tournament.
That afternoon, UCD goalie Rachel Blake was invited to play for the Gin and Juice team in the championship match, while Maria Sheehy and Amy Clarkin also agreed to help fill in the spaces of players who had had to leave. Rachel displayed skills that would be impressive for any goalie, let alone one who had been playing only two months, while both Maria and Amy learned a lot from playing with the team. It was a great weekend of lacrosse, and a big thank you must be made to all of Dublin’s adopted players.