NETANYA, ISRAEL — The Jewish State will again host a major quadrennial lacrosse tournament in 2019, as the Women’s European Lacrosse Championship will be held in Israel from July 15-25.
The blue-and-white, who are ranked #6 in the world, have their work cut out for them as they will compete in the premier “Alef Pool” alongside the other top five teams in Europe. Israel will open the tournament on July 15th against #14 Germany; they are 2-0 all-time against the Germans; the last time the two teams met was in the Quarterfinals of the 2015 Euros, with Israel prevailing 10-5.
On July 17th, Israel takes on rival #5 Scotland, who own a 3-1 all-time record against the Israelis, including a pair of overtime wins. Scotland won the most recent meeting, 17-13, in the 5th-place match at the 2017 World Cup.
The schedule does not get any easier as the blue-and-white take on #3 England on July 18th. The teams have only met once, in the semifinals of the 2015 Euros. England won 12-8 en route to their sixth European Gold Medals.
Israel will take on #13 Ireland on July 20th in the first-ever meeting between the two teams, before wrapping up pool play against #7 Wales on July 21st. The blue-and-white are 1-0-1 against Wales, securing an 8-7 overtime win in the placement rounds at the 2017 World Cup. The now-extinct tie took place in the opener of the 2015 Euros.
Mon, Jul 15 – Israel vs Germany – 7:30 PM
Wed, Jul 17 – Israel vs Scotland – 7:30 PM
Thu, Jul 18 – Israel vs England – 7:30 PM
Sat, Jul 20 – Israel vs Ireland – 10:00 PM
Sun, Jul 21 – Israel vs Wales – 7:30 PM
Playoffs begin on Monday, July 22nd
The top four teams in the “Alef Pool” advance to the European Championship Playoffs, which kick off on July 22nd, with the top two teams earning byes to the semifinals.
While England are the favorites to prevail on top of the pool, the results of the rest of the division are anyone’s guess, as the format is sure to produce exciting matches from the opening game.
Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland will be competing in the lower pools; they’ll need to go 4-0 in pool play to guarantee a spot in the Championship playoffs.
The European Championships will also be serving as a qualifier for the FIL World Cup for the first time. 15 of the 16 teams competing in Israel this summer are expected to qualify for 2019 Worlds.
Israel’s Developmental Team will also be competing in the European Lacrosse Festival against visiting teams from Greece and the United States.
For more information on Israel Women’s Lacrosse, contact Sarah Meisenberg at sarah@lacrosse.co.il.