U.S. women's lacrosse team wins gold medal at World Games with victory over China

The United States has reclaimed the top spot in women’s lacrosse.

The United States defeated Canada, 16-8, to win the women’s lacrosse gold medal at The World Games in Chengdu, China on Monday.

Multiple Long Island women played key roles in the United States’ gold medal run and championship game victory, including Sam Apuzzo (West Babylon) with two goals and three assists and Cassidy Weeks (Bayport) with four goals and an assist in the final. Taylor Moreno (Huntington) had nine saves in the second half to secure the victory.

The United States lost to Canada, 14-12, in an upset in the 2022 World Games fina;. Ally Kennedy (North Babylon) and Ellie Masera (Eastport) were also members of the 12-player roster for Team USA.

The United States went 3-0 during the group stage, outscoring opponents 89-32. Team USA defeated Japan, 24-10, in the semifinals on Sunday before Monday’s final.

Team USA had a 32-11 victory over Ireland, a 25-13 win over Australia and a 32-8 win over Czechia during group play.

Opposed to the traditional game of 12-on-12 lacrosse, including a goalie, The World Games plays a 6-on-6 format on a smaller field for a faster-paced product. The United States won the inaugural World Games women’s lacrosse gold medal in 2017 with an 11-8 victory over Canada before taking silver in an 11-8 loss to Canada in 2022.

Masera had 11 goals and 15 assists, Apuzzo had 14 goals and six assists, Kennedy had 14 goals and four assists and Weeks had 10 goals and five assists over the five games. Moreno had 29 saves, stopping 54.7% of the shots she faced.

The World Games features sports such as flag football, softball, racquetball and cheerleading, sports that aren’t in the Olympics. It also runs once every four years.