Israel Stakes Claim at Inaugural ELF Women’s European Box Lacrosse Championship

Israel is the first European women’s box lacrosse champion!

For the first time in European history, seven nations collaborated to create the ELF Women’s European Box Lacrosse Championship. A 10-1 rout of Germany sealed the deal for Israel’s historic achievement at the groundbreaking event, an exclamatory punctuation to an outstanding performance from the team all tournament long.

Israel triumphed in all eight of its outings across the group and knockout stages, outscored its opponents 98-25, and enjoyed a 9.125 average margin of victory. To put it mildly: it went well.

“I am beyond proud of this team,” head coach Stu Sterparn said. “What these women built together, on the floor and off, is something Israel Lacrosse will remember for a long, long time.”

Israel’s Gold Medal: How It Happened

A thrilling semifinal with England saw Germany earn its spot alongside Israel in the 2026 ELF Women’s European Box Lacrosse Championship final. The Germans held off a late English rally for a one-goal survival, and they continued that momentum into the ultimate contest against Israel.

Midway through the first quarter, Germany opened the scoring, issuing Israel its first deficit of the entire tournament. For about 15 more game minutes, the Germans kept the Israelis off the board.

“I think we had a little bit of jitters at first,” Israel goalie Ava Pinch, who finished the day with 28 saves and a 97% save percentage, said in an on-air interview shortly after the game. “But we stuck to our plan.”

With a little more than 9 minutes to play in the second quarter, Hanna Hilcoff received a pass at the edge of the attacking area and hurried a one-hopper on net that, for the first time, Germany couldn’t handle. That spark was all the Blue-and-White needed.

Israel scored four more times before the break, erasing their only deficit of the tournament. The second half only brought about more Israeli elation – another five goals and a deflated Germany rounded out a 10-1 scoreline, and the Blue-and-White etched their names in the record books.

“In a truly historic run, we became the first-ever women’s box lacrosse champions of Europe,” ILA Executive Director Ian Kadish said. “We couldn’t be prouder.”

Blue-and-White March to European Women’s Box Lacrosse History

From June 25 to July 4, seven teams representing seven nations took to three stadiums across Prague, Czechia, to determine the top of European women’s box lacrosse: Israel, Germany, England, Ireland, Netherlands, Finland, and the hosting Czechs.

The Blue-and-White immediately made their presence known. On the opening day of the tournament, Israel dispatched the Netherlands, 9-1. Two days later, Ireland gave Israel its biggest scare of the event, pulling to within one of the Blue-and-White late in the third quarter, but a pair of fourth quarter goals padded the final score, 7-4.

Israel continued its dominance against England (14-5), Czechia (17-5), Finland (18-1), and Germany (12-4) to bring the pool play phase to a close, comfortably claiming the top seed and a spot in the semifinals of the tournament’s single-elimination phase. The team’s reward? Another date with the Irish, the team that pushed it the furthest in the prior stage.

This time, at the iconic LLC Radotín in the Prague suburb from which the venue takes its namesake, Israel put Ireland under the cosh immediately. Samantha Smith got the party started with a snipe less than two minutes into the game. About two minutes later, Julia Rowland added another, finding a slice of space to fit the ball in the net while she fell to the ground with two Ireland defenders crowding her. Ireland did score the next goal, but it was a blip in the grand scheme. The Blue-and-White held a 6-2 advantage at the break, which they ballooned to an 11-4 final tally.

The Stats

Come the tournament’s conclusion, five different Israelis registered double-digit goal tallies; Hilcoff led the way at 19, while Shira Parower (13), Sam Fisher (12), Rowland (11), and Smith (10) chipped in their fair shares. Fisher was the team’s top assister with 11, with Rowland (10), Hilcoff (9), and Kenzie Kowitz (9) close behind.

Pinch saved 88% of the shots – the best mark of the tournament’s netminders – and tallied a total of 191 saves. Hilcoff’s 28 points were fourth-best among all players at the 2026 ELF Women’s European Box Lacrosse Championship. Fisher (23) placed ninth, and Rowland (21), Parower (20), Smith (14), and Kowitz (13) all fit into the top 25.

The First Statement

This is Israel’s first-ever gold medal at the ELF Women’s European Box Lacrosse Championship. It is also anyone’s first-ever gold medal at the ELF Women’s European Box Lacrosse Championship.

The Blue-and-White have set the tone in Europe for women’s box lacrosse. This victory is the culmination of many years of work.

“Our women didn’t just show the world Israeli strength and pride,” Kadish explained. “They stood as advocates for the work Israel Lacrosse is doing to grow this sport at home.”

This event is only expected to mature as it enters the rotation of major European lacrosse tournaments. The field will expand, the competition will grow, and the challenge will increase. Israel’s name will forever be synonymous with its initial offering, but the Blue-and-White have no intention of standing still.

“This is just the beginning for women’s box lacrosse in Israel,” Sterparn said.

2026 ELF Women’s European Box Lacrosse Championship Recap

The inaugural edition of the ELF Women’s European Box Lacrosse Championship began with a round robin phase that Israel dominated. Germany, England, and Ireland followed the Blue-and-White with a 4-2 record, respectively, earning themselves opportunities in the tournament’s semifinals. Netherlands finished fifth in the standings at 2-4, Czechia was sixth at 1-5, and Finland ended at the bottom in a winless showing.

The final standings for the tournament at the completion of the knockout phase are:

1. Israel (defeated Germany in championship final, 10-1)
2. Germany (lost to Israel in championship final, 1-10)
3. England (defeated Ireland in third-place final, 11-7)
4. Ireland (lost to England in third-place final, 7-11)
5. Netherlands (defeated Czechia in fifth-place final, 14-9)
6. Czechia (defeated Finland in fifth-place semifinal, 15-2; lost to Netherlands in fifth-place game, 9-14)
7. Finland (lost to Czechia in fifth-place semifinal, 2-15)

Thank You, Israel Lacrosse Mishpacha

Israel Lacrosse wishes to extend a deep thank you for the players, coaches, and fans who went to Prague this summer and were part of something special.

“They played with heart, discipline, and pride in every single game,” Sterparn said. “They earned this title. I couldn’t be more honored to coach this group.”

The ILA would be remiss to leave out the countless hours, days, weeks, months, and years of work put in by more people than could ever be listed that have brought the organization to this point. The action behind-the-scenes is critical to Israel Lacrosse’s position to compete and succeed in major tournaments, and the ILA remains eternally grateful to those who have contributed in any capacity over the association’s 16-year history.

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