University of North Carolina Athletics
Canada Earns Gold, U.S. Takes Silver At The World Games
July 16, 2022 | Women's Lacrosse
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A pair of University of North Carolina players earned medals in the final game of World Lacrosse Sixes' debut at The World Games, with Brooklyn Walker-Welch taking gold and Caitlyn Wurzburger securing silver on Saturday night in Birmingham, Alabama.Â
It was a close game right from the first draw between Canada and the United States in the gold medal game at PNC Field, but two straight goals in the final few minutes sealed a 14-12 win for Canada. Walker-Welch had an assist and two ground balls in the win, concluding the tournament with three goals, one assist, four points, five ground balls and two draw controls.
Canada was undefeated with a 5-0 record throughout the championship. It also marks the first gold medal for Canada's senior women's national team in history.
This marks the second international medal of the summer for Walker-Welch, as the defender also earned silver with Team Canada last week at the World Lacrosse Women's World Championship in Towson, Maryland.
Claiming silver was the U.S. with Wurzburger recording two assists in the hard-fought battle. The attacker had seven goals, 11 assists and 18 points across five games in Birmingham.
On Friday afternoon, Sammy Jo Tracy ('17) and Israel came out on top in a dramatic, back-and-forth battle with Japan to place fifth. With the game going down to the wire, Tracy scored the game-winner in the final minute to finish the tournament with nine goals, two assists, 11 points and four ground balls across four games. Â
World Lacrosse Sixes was contested for the first time in the history of The World Games, which was postponed from 2021 due to the pandemic. Sixes, a shorter and faster-paced version of lacrosse, is played on a 70×36-meter outdoor field and involves 8-minute, running-time quarters.
