Tel Aviv LC celebrates their 3-0 start at Broughton Park F.C. in Manchester, England.

Tel Aviv LC edged the Amsterdam Lions in a semifinal thriller, 5-4, before falling to Gin & Juice in the Championship Game of the Manchester 8′s tournament on Friday at Broughton Park F.C in Manchester, England. Although the squad welcomed several players on loan from Jerusalem LC, nearly the entire team is Israel-based. The Israelis finish 7-1, hanging their heads high with a strong international showing.

Tel Aviv 8, Soap Stars 0
Nate Becker scored five goals to lead Tel Aviv LC past the Soap Stars in an 8-0 shutout at the Manchester 8′s tournament. The team led 4-0 at the half and controlled the entire game against the England-based club. Gabriel Leonhard (one goal, two assists), Jesse Kane (two goals, one assist) and Sacha Stout (one goal) also contributed on offense. Reuven Dressler (10:00, 0 GA) and Ben Levine (10:00, 0 GA) split time in goal; Dressler was credited the win.

Tel Aviv 7, Area-51 0
Becker scored four goals and Tel Aviv’s defense stood tall, holding the tournament’s eventual third-place finishers, Area-51 scoreless in a 7-0 shutout victory. Kane scored twice, and Matt Flapan added a goal and an assist, while Yochanan Katz and Stout each had two helpers against the England-based club. Levine (20:00, 0 GA) earned the shutout win in goal.

Tel Aviv 5, Amsterdam Lions 4
Tel Aviv LC earned a last-second comeback victory over the Amsterdam Lions, as Leonhard scored with 10 seconds left in regulation to secure a hard fought 5-4 semifinal win. The Dutch led 3-1 in the first half and 4-3 late into the second and appeared poised to advance to the final, but Kane scored with 2:40 remaining to set the stage for Leonhard’s heroics. Becker finished with three goals and an assist, with Leonhard (one goal, one assist), Kane (one goal), and Katz (one assist) chipping in on offense. Dressler (24:00, 4 GA) earned the win in goal.

Gin & Juice 4, Tel Aviv 2
Tel Aviv LC’s cinderella run fell just short in the grand final of the Manchester 8′s tournament, as host Gin & Juice’s A-squad stifled Tel Aviv’s offense. The Israelis led 2-0, with Kane scoring unassisted, followed by a Becker goal on an assist from Katz. However, the hosts rallied for three straight goals to take a 3-2 halftime lead. A fourth goal by Gin & Juice was the lone score in a physical second half that saw some exciting scoring opportunities from both teams. Levine (12:00, 3 GA) and Dressler (12:00, 1 GA) split time in goal; Levine was credited the loss.

Caps (x4) – Nate Becker, Ian Cohen, Reuven Dressler, Matt Flapan, Jesse Kane, Yochanan Katz, Alexander Komet, Alex Kossar, Gabriel Leonhard, Ben Levine, Mathew Markman, David Siegel, Sacha Stout

Friday Results

Tel Aviv LC is 4-0 after the first day of action at the Manchester 8′s tournament at Broughton Park F.C. in Manchester, England. The team will play its’ final two games of pool play on Sunday morning, before the tournament playoffs.

Tel Aviv 10, North Staffs 0
Tel Aviv LC rolled to a 10-0 victory over North Staffs of England to open the Manchester 8′s tournament on Friday at Broughton Park F.C. Tel Aviv led 6-0 at halftime before cruising to victory. Nate Becker scored five goals, while Matt Flapan (two goals, one assist), Gabriel Leonhard (two goals) and Yochanan Katz (one goal and one assist) chipped in on offense. Reuven Dressler (12:00, 0 GA) and Ben Levine (8:00, 0 GA) split time in goal; Dressler was credited the win.

Tel Aviv 6, Gin & Juice 3
Tel Aviv LC earned a hard fought 6-3 win over Gin & Juice of England in the Manchester 8′s tournament on Friday. G&J led 1-0 and 2-1 respectively, before the Israelis answered with five straight to take a 6-2 halftime lead. The English club answered back at 2:20 of the second half to cut the deficit to three goals, but Tel Aviv was able to run out the clock and hang on for the 6-3 win. Becker (two goals, one assist), Flapan (two goals), Jesse Kane (one goal), and Zander Komet (one goal) chipped in offensively, while Dressler (20:00, 3 GA) earned the win in goal.

Tel Aviv 11, Lax Vegas 2
Tel Aviv LC throttled England-based Lax Vegas, 11-2, at the Manchester 8′s tournament on Friday. Kane led Tel Aviv with three goals, while Becker (two goals, one assist), Leonhard (two goals, one assist), Katz (two goals), Flapan (one goal), Stout (one goal) also chipped in. Dressler (10:00, 2 GA) and Levine (10:00, 0 GA) split time in goal; Dressler was credited the win.

Tel Aviv 6, ArchLevel 1
Tel Aviv LC powered past England-based ArchLevel, 6-1, at the Manchester 8′s tournament on Friday. Becker scored three goals to lead the Israelis, while Leonhard (one goal, one assist), Komet (one goal), and Kane (one goal) also chipped in. Levine (20:00, 1 GA) earned the win in goal.

Caps (x4) – Nate Becker, Ian Cohen, Matt Flapan, Jesse Kane, Alexander Komet, Alex Kossar, Gabriel Leonhard, Ben Levine, Mathew Markman, David Siegel, Sacha Stout

Caps (x3) – Reuven Dressler, Yochanan Katz

The Israel women’s national lacrosse team makes their World Cup debut on July 11th against No. 10 Germany.

Israel’s roster is composed of both Israeli players, as well as members of the Jewish diaspora, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). The roster was selected after a series of tryouts at HaYarkon Sportek in Tel Aviv and the Peddie School in Hightstown, NJ, as well as an extensive interview process.

“I had to make some very tough decisions in narrowing down this group to our final 20-player roster,” said Israel head coach Lauren Paul Norris. “Taking into consideration on field talent, connection to Israel, and commitment to the organization’s missions, I believe that we have put together a very strong squad that will undoubtedly set the stage for the future of women’s lacrosse in Israel.”

In conjunction with the Israel Lacrosse Tzedakah Program, each player will be competing in honor of a charity of their choosing. A portion of the national team’s general fundraising efforts has been committed to each charity.

*Did not play college lacrosse at the NCAA level

Head Coach: Lauren Paul Norris
Assistant Coaches: Laura Fine Liebman & Peter Friedensohn

Rehovot native Ifat Ribon in action for Israel at the 2012 European Lacrosse Festival.

Israel’s inaugural World Cup match is a tough test; the blue-and-white open against No. 10 Germany on July 11, before meeting No. 8 Scotland, and No. 16 South Korea to wrap up pool play. Two wins will guarantee Israel an appearance in the 12-team playoff.

‘Crossover’ matches against Hong Kong and No. 7 Japan will determine seeding and serve as tiebreakers if necessary. The World Cup playoffs begin on July 17th.

Israel’s roster is composed of both Israeli players, as well as members of the Jewish diaspora, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). The team will train July 1-7 in Ashkelon, Israel, before flying as a team to Toronto on July 8.

Training schedule
Thu, Jul 4 at 6:30 PM – “Blue vs White” game (scrimmage; at Ashkelon Municipal Stadium – Asheklon, Israel)
Tue, Jul 9 at 5:00 PM – Israel vs #13 Netherlands (scrimmage)

2013 World Cup
Thu, Jul 11 at 12:30 PM – Israel vs #10 Germany (pool play)
Fri, Jul 12 at 12:30 PM – Israel vs #8 Scotland (pool play)
Sun, Jul 14 at 11:30 AM – Israel vs #16 South Korea (pool play)
Mon, Jul 15 at 9:00 AM – Israel vs Hong Kong (crossover)
Tue, Jul 16 at 11:30 AM – Israel vs. #7 Japan (crossover)
**Playoffs begin on July 17th

Other Exhibitions
Sat, Nov 16 at 7:00 PM – Israel vs STX Elite Team (friendly; at McDonogh School – Baltimore, MD)

^All matches at Oshawa Civic Recreation Centre unless otherwise noted
^^Schedule subject to change

Tel Aviv LC (3-0) will be competing internationally in the Manchester 8′s Tournament in England next weekend.

Becker, who appeared in two games for Haverford College in 2011, helped Tel Aviv (3-0) build a quick 5-0 lead, scoring two of the goals and assisting on two others.

Israel National Team midfielder Noam Goldstein put Jerusalem (0-3) on the board to wrap up the first quarter, but Tel Aviv continued to build their lead, taking a 9-2 advantage at halftime.

Matt Flapan added four goals and two assists for Tel Aviv, who accepted several players on loan ahead next week’s Manchester 8′s tournament. Gabriel Leonhard matched the four goals, while Yochanan Katz (one goal) and Ben Levine (one assist) also chipped in. Reuven Dressler earned the win between the pipes, allowing just three goals in 80 minutes of action.

Peter Cawley (two goals) and Matt Spielman (two assists) led Jerusalem’s offense, with Goldstein adding the third goal. Yoel Barthanon (14 GA, 80:00) was credited the loss.

The game was played under the rules and regulations of the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) with modifications in preparation for the Manchester 8′s tournament. The two teams will meet again on June 18th in their fourth meeting of the 18-match season. Expansion clubs in Ashkelon and Netanya are expected to join the league in July.

Additional caps – Jerusalem: David Lasday, Rory Ginsburg, Jason Lurie, Noah Lutz, Aaron Tracy, Michael Usdan, Adam Waddell, Gaddy Weissman … Tel Aviv: Zander Komet, Alex Kossar, Mathew Markman

ISRAEL PREMIER LEAGUE: TEAM SCHEDULES/RESULTS
**Schedule is subject to change

ASHKELON LACROSSE CLUB (0-0)
Tue, Jul 2 at 7:00 PM – vs Tel Aviv [capsule matches(3)]
Wed, Jul 3 at 7:00 PM – vs Jerusalem [capsule matches(3)]
Fri, Jul 5 at 11:00 AM – at Tel Aviv
Sun, Jul 7 at 6:30 PM – at Tel Aviv
Mon, Jul 8 at 6:30 PM – at Tel Aviv
Tue, Jul 9 at 7:00 PM – vs Jerusalem [capsule matches(3); at Netanya]
Thu, Jul 11 at 9:00 AM – at Netanya [capsule matches(3)]
Mon, Jul 15 at 4:30 PM – vs Netanya [capsule matches(3); at Tel Aviv]
**Wed, July 17 at 7:00 PM – Israel Lacrosse Championship Match, location TBD

JERUSALEM LACROSSE CLUB (0-3)
Fri, Feb 15 at 11:00 AM – at Tel Aviv (L, 11-6)
Fri, Apr 12 at 11:00 AM – at Tel Aviv (L, 11-5)
Fri, May 10 at 11:00 AM – at Tel Aviv (L, 14-3)
Wed, June 18 at 8:00 PM – at Tel Aviv [at Jaffa]
Fri, June 21 at 11:00 AM – at Tel Aviv
Thu, June 27 at 6:00 PM – at Tel Aviv
Wed, Jul 3 at 7:00 PM – at Ashkelon [capsule matches(3)]
Tue, Jul 9 at 7:00 PM – vs Ashkelon [capsule matches(3); at Netanya]
Fri, Jul 12 at 11:00 AM – vs Netanya [capsule matches(3); at Tel Aviv]
Sun, Jul 14 at 7:00 PM – vs Netanya [capsule matches(3)]
**Wed, July 17 at 7:00 PM – Israel Lacrosse Championship Match, location TBD

NETANYA LACROSSE CLUB (0-0)
Thu, Jul 11 at 7:00 AM – vs Tel Aviv [capsule matches(3)]
Thu, Jul 11 at 9:00 AM – vs Ashkelon [capsule matches(3)]
Fri, Jul 12 at 11:00 AM – vs Jerusalem [capsule matches(3); at Tel Aviv]
Sun, Jul 14 at 7:00 PM – at Jerusalem [capsule matches(3)]
Mon, Jul 15 at 4:30 PM – vs Ashkelon [capsule matches(3); at Tel Aviv]
Mon, Jul 15 at 6:00 PM – at Tel Aviv [capsule matches(3)]
**Wed, July 17 at 7:00 PM – Israel Lacrosse Championship Match, location TBD

TEL AVIV LACROSSE CLUB (3-0)
Fri, Feb 15 at 11:00 AM – vs Jerusalem (W, 11-6)
Fri, Apr 12 at 11:00 AM – vs Jerusalem (W, 11-5)
Fri, May 10 at 11:00 AM – vs Jerusalem (W, 14-3)
**May 17-19 – Manchester 8′s Tournament [non-league play; at Manchester, England]
Wed, June 18 at 8:00 PM – vs Jerusalem [at Jaffa]
Fri, June 21 at 11:00 AM – vs Jerusalem
Thu, June 27 at 6:00 PM – vs Jerusalem
Tue, Jul 2 at 7:00 PM – at Ashkelon [capsule matches(3)]
Fri, Jul 5 at 11:00 AM – vs Ashkelon
Sun, Jul 7 at 6:30 PM – vs Ashkelon
Mon, Jul 8 at 6:30 PM – vs Ashkelon
Thu, Jul 11 at 7:00 AM – at Netanya [capsule matches(3)]
Mon, Jul 15 at 6:00 PM – vs Netanya [capsule matches(3)]
**Wed, July 17 at 7:00 PM – Israel Lacrosse Championship Match, location

The Israel Lacrosse Invitational Tournament will take place from August 14-18 near Baltimore, MD.

“We’re very excited to help link high school lacrosse players with their Jewish identity and the State of Israel,” said Israel men’s national team head coach Bill Beroza. “The tournament is a great opportunity for us to utilize lacrosse as a platform to connect young Jewish athletes with Israel, in a competitive setting. Through their shared passion for the sport of lacrosse, these teams will be directly contributing to the development of the sport at the grassroots level in the Middle East.”

Teams from 10 states have confirmed participation: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Each team will participate in an equipment drive for a partner Israeli city, with second-hand gear being collected for distribution to Israeli youth in those cities.

Team California, which will be playing for Tel Aviv, will be coached by Israel assistant coach Pete Ginnegar. Ginnegar recently finished his 9th season as head coach at Claremont College. Over his 30-year career, Ginnegar previously coached at D1 programs such as Cornell, Gannon, Mercyhurst and Ohio State, as well as stints with Babson, Lake Forest, Mary Washington, Mount Union and Springfield College. His lifetime coaching record is 251-157. Israel midfielder Seth Mahler, a graduate of Whittier College, will serve as Ginnegar’s assistant coach. The team will be filled on a first-come first-serve basis.

Team Colorado, which will be playing for Karmiel, will be coached by Israel assistant coach Jon Barocas. Barocas, who recently served as the Director of College Scouting for the Denver Outlaws, is a member of the Colorado Lacrosse Hall of Fame in recognition of his legendary leadership as head coach at East Manual/Denver East High School. Former Johns Hopkins midfielder Zach Tedeschi will serve as Barocas’ assistant coach. The team will be filled on a first-come first-serve basis.

Team Connecticut, which will be playing for Modi’in, will be coached by Matt Glaser. Glaser currently serves as President and Head Coach of the CT Lynx Elite Lacrosse Program. Tryouts for the team will take place in mid-June, (time and location TBD).

Team Florida, which will be playing for Netanya, will be coached by Neil McAdorey, who serves as a coach for Team 22 as well as at the St. Andrew’s School in Boca Raton. McAdorey has also coached Team Ft. Lauderdale at the JCC Maccabi Games since 2012. The team will be filled on a first-come first-serve basis.

Team Illinois, which will be playing for Petah Tikva, will be coached by Mitch Cohen, who serves as Coaching Director at St. Charles High School. The team will be filled on a first-come first-serve basis.

Team Maryland, which will be playing for Ashkelon, will be coached by Cliff Perlow and Lewis Scharff, the Assistant Coach at Boys Latin. The team will be filled on a first-come first-serve basis.

Team Massachusetts, which will be playing for Haifa, will be coached by Mike Bogart, who has played and coached the sport for over 40 years, most recently for the New England Select Lacrosse League. The team will be filled on a first-come first-serve basis.

Team New Jersey, which will be playing for Eilat, will be coached by Israel assistant coach and Kean University Head Coach Shelley Sheiner. The team will be filled on a first-come first-serve basis.

Team New York, which will be playing for Jerusalem, will be coached by Team USA midfielder Max Seibald. Seibald, who plays professionally for the New York Lizards (MLL) and the Philadelphia Wings (NLL), will be joined by assistant coach Howard Borkan, GM of the Israel men’s national team. The team will be filled on a first-come first-serve basis.

Team Pennsylvania, which will be playing for Rehovot, will be coached by former Strath Haven coach and current Great Valley assistant David Waldman. Tryouts for the team will be held on May 19 from 5-7 PM at Harriton High School.

Each team will play a minimum of 11 games over four days, and will be housed at the dormitories at Oldfields School. No games will be held on Shabbat; the players will instead participate in a local community service project.

Players interested in participating can receive more information or register at www.israellacrosse.com/invitational.

Top Jewish pro and Team USA midfielder Max Seibald at the 2012 Israel Lacrosse tent

Make sure you stop by to meet players and coaches of the Israel men’s and women’s national teams, as well as top Jewish MLL players. The tent will also feature a big screen television showing all five of the weekends games.

To RSVP, please email Scott Neiss at scott@lacrosse.co.il with the number of guests in your group, and which days you will be attending.

Entrance to the Israel Lacrosse hospitality tent is complimentary; please consider supporting the development of lacrosse in Israel! The Israel Lacrosse Association is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization #45-3857764. Contributions can be made to: ISRAEL LACROSSE ASSOCIATION, 1501 Broadway, Floor 21, New York, NY 10036.

Israel national team players and staff have been actively spreading the sport throughout the country since 2011.

STX will be providing a new game-ready lacrosse stick to every homegrown Israeli player, as well as prizes to American players who donate second-hand equipment to the program. The Israel Lacrosse Association provides coaches, referees and all other organizational aspects of the program.

“We are extremely lucky to have a partner in STX which is committed to promoting lacrosse to Israeli youth,” said David Lasday, a Maryland graduate and Tel Aviv resident who serves as Youth Development Director for Israel Lacrosse. “We’re also excited to engage the Jewish American lacrosse community to directly contribute to the development of the sport in Israel. It seems natural for us to work closely with a Baltimore-based company to bring lacrosse to Ashkelon, Baltimore’s sister city.”

Israel Lacrosse has partnered with STX to launch the national “First Stick” program

STX will also fully outfit the Israel women’s and men’s national teams in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

Youth who are interested in donating lacrosse equipment to the Israel Lacrosse Association through a Bar or Bat Mitzvah project are asked to contact Noah Miller at noah@lacrosse.co.il.

Zachary Ross of Efrat was named to the All-Star team of the Aleš Hřebeský Memorial in Prague.

With limited box lacrosse experience (Israel and France are both primarily field lacrosse nations), the team struggled against some of the top competition in the world, but finished the tournament inspired and excited to build towards the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship.

“The team continually got better throughout the week,” said former NLL veteran Brad MacArthur, who helped coach the squad. “I loved working with the team and learned quite a bit this week sharing different stories and cultures.”

The squad opened play on Wednesday with 11-1 and 21-0 defeats at the hands of LC Slavia Praha (Czech Republic) and the Boston Megamen (USA). The Boston team went on to finish 2nd in the tournament. Czech’s Jiří Procházka scored the team’s lone goal on an assist from Zander Komet of Tel Aviv.

The team fell on Thursday, 7-2, to the Glasgow Clydesiders (Scotland), with Zachary Ross of Efrat scoring on an assist from French goaltender Seb Raynal. Czech’s František Klíma scored the other goal on an assist from French forward Alexis Annoot.

On Friday, the team fell 6-3, at the hands of the Polish Eagles. Trailing 4-0 at halftime, the squad mounted a furious comeback with Klíma scoring the first goal, before Sacha Stout, who splits residence from Manchester and Tel Aviv, scoring back-to-back, on assists from French teammates Cédric Montay and Annoot, respectively. Trailing 4-3, Poland put the game away with two goals late.

A shorthanded squad fell 9-1 to the Vienna Monarchs (Austria) on Saturday. Klíma scored the lone goal on an assist from François Labbe.

National team goaltender David Dennenberg made 25 saves in goal in four games of action.

Nicole Sawdaye was added to Israel’s 2013 Women’s World Cup roster.

Sawdaye, who has been active in the development of lacrosse in Israel since the ILA’s inception in 2011, holds residences in both Tel Aviv and London. A leader in the global Jewish lacrosse community, Sawdaye serves as head coach of Team Great Britain at the JCC Maccabi Games in the United States. she is an active player for the Hatch End Hawks and a graduate of University of Nottingham.

Israel’s roster is composed of both Israeli players, as well as members of the Jewish diaspora, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL).

Israel women’s national lacrosse team member Elyssa Rosenbaum secured third place at the Ashkelon 10K.

Check out a video of the run at: http://www.magisto.com/video/bAZEYgZWSmIKDUVk?source=facebook