Israel has made a smashing debut at the World Lacrosse Championship in Denver, winning all its games and qualifying for the quarterfinals Wednesday evening.
Israel has been the top-scoring team in the tournament through five games, with an aggregate score of 88-18. Tuesday’s 15-1 victory against Germany, which finished sixth in the 2010 championships, followed victories over Sweden, Slovakia, Korea, and Ireland.
Less than three years after the first lacrosse game was played in Israel, an enterprise arising from a young New Yorker’s Birthright trip has changed the international sports landscape. Scott Neiss, now a Tel Aviv resident and Israeli citizen, recruited coaches with world championship experience, established lacrosse training centers in Israel, combed the country for aliyah-niks who had played the sport in North America, and raised the resources to compete at the highest levels.
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