U.S. reaches final at World Lacrosse Women’s Championship with help from local players

Thanks to contributions from two Philadelphia-area natives, the United States advanced to the title game at the World Lacrosse Women’s Championship with a 17-2 rout of Australia on Thursday in Towson, Md.

The Americans will play Canada for the championship at noon Saturday at Johnny Unitas Stadium. The game will be televised by ESPN2.

In a rematch from last week’s 16-5 pool play win, the Americans overpowered the Aussies on both sides of the field. Emily Parros, a former Strath Haven High star, scored a goal for the U.S., while fellow midfielder Marie McCool (Moorestown) notched an assist.

Canada advanced with a thrilling 11-9 win over England in the second semifinal. The United States and Canada will meet in the final for the third straight time, with the Americans winning the first two meetings. The U.S. is seeking its fourth straight title.

» READ MORE: Marie McCool, Emily Parros give U.S. team a local presence at the 2022 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship

No host country has ever won the World Championship since its inception in 1982. The U.S. captured the gold in eight of the 10 tournaments but dropped the title game to Australia in 1986 and 2005 when the tournament was held in Swarthmore and Annapolis, Md., respectively. The Americans now turn their focus to Canada in an all-North America affair.

“Canada [is a] really, really talented team that’s going to continue to get better throughout the tournament,” coach Jenny Levy said after opening the tournament with a 16-11 victory over the Canadians.

Leaving nothing to chance, the Americans fired on all cylinders from the starting whistle Thursday. Five first-quarter goals and seven second-quarter scores forged a lead that Australia could not overcome.

In the quarterfinal game against Japan, the last goal the Americans let in came just 20 seconds into the second half. In the semifinals, it took the Australians more than 38 minutes to break the shutout. The 68-minute shutout between the two games was anchored by the goalie tandem of Liz Hogan and Caylee Waters. After the first 45 minutes, Hogan allowed one goal in six shots on net. Waters allowed one goal and made three saves. Since the beginning of the elimination round, the Americans have allowed only five tallies across 16 shots on goal in three games.

The offensive headliner Thursday was Kayla Treanor. The attacker had six goals and two assists to lift her tournament total to 33 points.

Treanor is head coach of the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team. She has gotten accustomed to playing alongside Atlantic Coast Conference rivals like Boston College attacker Charlotte North and a hefty contingent of North Carolina alums that includes McCool and Parros as well as Levy.