Team USA used an eight-goal run spanning the second and third quarters to down Team Canada 10-7 in the opening matchup of the 2014 FIL World Lacrosse Championships Thursday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Denver, Colo.



Canada held a 1-0 lead after a first quarter highlighted by tremendous defense by both teams, with the lone tally coming on a transition goal from Mark Matthews 3:54 into the contest.



The Canadians edged out to a 3-0 lead early in the second as Curtis Dickson scored on a highlight reel diving shot at 1:08 and then Jeremy Noble found himself with time and room to score from up top with 16:37 left in the half.



But Team USA would finally break the seal, as Paul Rabil connected with Boston Cannons teammate Kevin Buchanan, who scored on a low-to-high rocket 4:48 seconds into the quarter. That goal began the eight-goal run that featured seven different goal scorers and put the United States up 8-3 with 10:27 left in the third quarter.



“I think for us the biggest thing was getting there, getting the ball and being patient and getting high percentage shots,” said Rob Pannell, who finished with two goals and assist.



“We were doing that in the first quarter, we just weren’t capitalizing on our opportunities. Our defense was doing a great job, but we really weren’t helping them out offensively. … But we knew that if we kept doing what we were doing, keep taking high percentage shots, eventually they were going to go in. Our face-off guys did a great job of getting the ball, our defense did a great job of making stops. We were able to get the ball on the offensive end and we started to capitalize.”



The strong face-off performance by Chris Eck (8-16) and Greg Guerenlian (4-5) against the oftentimes automatic Geoff Snider helped Team USA to a decided advantage in shots. At halftime, the US had taken 24 shots to Canada’s 7, and at the end of the game had outshot the Canadians 40-20.



Canada’s best quarter was the fourth, when the team outscored the US 3-1, which still wasn’t enough as the Americans held on for the 10-7 victory in the Blue Division matchup.



Paul Rabil — who was named player of the game with two goals and two assists, including an incredible no-look, over-the-head pass to Buchanan — credited assistant coach Jeff Tambroni for his development of the team’s offense.



“He’s kind of been a genius the way it’s gone,” Rabil said. “He was super tight on us in the tryouts. … Then during camp this week, he rolls the ball out. He said ‘it’s all about understanding positioning and now I want you guys to play.’ In the first quarter he told us we were getting unbelievable shots. He said, ‘don’t look at the scoreboard.’ … And that gave us confidence.”



Defensively, the Americans caused nine turnovers, while Canada forced only three — all of them by Brodie Merrill. Team Canada head coach Randy Mearns said US assistant Dave Pietramala had been successful in preparing the defense to face his team, which was playing without John Grant Jr. after the legendary attackman was just recently deemed ineligible for competition by the FIL after losing an appeal filed for the prescribed use of testosterone.



“Coach Pietramala designed a great defense against us,” Mearns said. “If we actually kind of got through that and turned out back, then the triple came and the ball was on the ground and went the other way. And that happened, in my opinion, in like 30 seconds. It’s not like we had three-minute possessions.”



Mearns said he and his staff, who were together in full and coaching for the first time Thursday night, learned a great deal about their team and themselves as coaches. He said the staff needs to be more organized during gameplay and plans to work toward that in the next ten days.



Mearns also said the team has rebounded as best it can from the sudden, unexpected loss of Grant — who’s now on the sideline as a coach — and will continue to look for right pieces at attack. At times, Mearns said, the Canadian offense seemed to slow down, playing into the hands of the staunch American defense.



“Our offense was just stagnant,” Mearns said. “So we gotta do a better job offensively. It seemed like we were standing. All week long, as we got into Denver we were moving the ball. … But tonight it was a little stagnant, so we’ve got to improve on that.”



A clear bright spot, Ward’s 17 saves showed the world that Canada has no questions in the goal.



“It’s been a while since I’ve played a field lacrosse game,” said Ward, who was an All-American at Bellarmine in 2013. “As the game went on I just got more and more comfortable.”



Both Ward and Mearns said they expect the team to continue to play aggressively and hope to get better throughout the tournament on both sides of the ball.



“We’re a blue collar team,” Ward said. “We’re a gritty team. We’re physical. We like the contact. That’s not going to go anywhere. It’s just going to get bigger and bigger. We want to make teams uncomfortable and that showed down the stretch.”



Kevin Leveille, who was an alternate for the 2010 championships and now stands at the all-time leading goal-scorer in Major League Lacrosse history, said it was the start the US wanted, facing a top team in the opener after a long and challenging tryout process.



“We were excited to play Canada right off the bat,” Leveille said. “We’ve been working hard over the last ten days. It was about us. We wanted to do the things we’ve been working on. I think we came out a little slower than we wanted to, but we kept it going and executed when we had to.



US head coach Ritchie Meade said the game was an important one for both teams. He pointed out the lengthy tryout process he and his staff instituted, and said he was encouraged by the way his team fought against a Canadian team that will most certainly compete for a medal in Denver.



“This is a long process with the team,” Meade said. “We made them tryout for a long time, we didn’t tell them they were on the team for a long time. I think there’s a sense of accomplishment and appreciation. I was proud of the way our players competed. It’s a unique thing to be in an international tournament on your home soil. It’s emotional. But we told them we didn’t need emotion, we needed execution and courage and commitment.”

The complete rosters for the U.S. and Canada, along with their Blue Division foes, can be found here.

Scoring

USA scoring: Brendan Mundorf, 1G; Garret Thul, 1G; Kyle Harrison, 1A; Kevin Leveille, 1G; Kevin Buchanan, 2G, 1A; Max Seibald, 1G; David Lawson, 1A; Rob Pannell, 2G,1A; Paul Rabil, 2G, 2.

USA saves: Jesse Schwartzman, 7S, 7GA; Face-Offs: Chris Eck 8-16; Greg Gurenlian 4-5

Canada scoring: Wesley Berg, 1A; Cam Flint, 1A; Kevin Crowley, 1G; Jordan MacIntosh, 1A; Jeremy Noble, 1G; Geoff Snider, 1G; Mark Matthews, 1G,1A; Curtis Dickson, 1G; Zack Greer, 2G

Canada saves: Dillon Ward, 18S, 10GA; Face-Offs: Geoff Snider 9-21

Next Page: Friday's Schedule

Friday, July 11

* All times MT; add two hours for ET

8 a.m. – Netherlands vs. China, Field 10 (ESPN3)

8:30 a.m. – Latvia vs. Switzerland, Field 8

9 a.m. – Italy vs. Norway, Field 4

9 a.m. – Bermuda vs. France, Field 6

9 a.m. – Wales vs. Russia, Field 3

9:30 a.m. – Hong Kong vs. Austria, Field 1

11 a.m. – Scotland vs. Thailand, Field 10 (ESPN3)

11:30 a.m. – Finland vs. Colombia, Field 2

11:30 a.m. – Slovakia vs. Korea, Field 5

11:30 a.m. – Sweden vs. Israel, Field 8

12 p.m. – Czech Republic vs. Turkey, Field 6

12:30 p.m. – Poland vs. Costa Rica, Field 1

12:30 p.m. – New Zealand vs. Argentina, Field 3

12:30 p.m. – Spain vs. Mexico, Field 4

2 p.m. – Germany vs. Belgium, Field 10 (ESPN3)

2:30 p.m. – Ireland vs. Uganda, Field 8

5 p.m. – Australia vs. Japan, Stadium (ESPN3)

8 p.m. – England vs. Iroquois, Stadium (ESPN3)