Japanese, American teams capture Lacrosse championships
By Casey McGuire-Turcotte
Special to The Advertiser
"Running fast with sticks" was the name of the game at Kapi'olani Park yesterday afternoon.
About 800 people turned out for the final day of the 12th Annual Hawai'i Lacrosse Invitational to enjoy the sun and the professional-grade lacrosse action.
On the women's side, Keio University from Tokyo beat NYAC of New York, 9-5, to capture the crown.
Marin of San Francisco captured the men's title, beating NYAC, 11-9.
For the uninitiated, lacrosse consists of two teams, made up of 10 players on each side, with the objective of trying to put a small ball into the opposing team's net. Players have a crosse, or stick, that they carry the ball in while running and passing.
Keio, one of the top teams in Japan, outscored its opponents 41-15 in tournament play.
"American players are much more powerful than those we face in Japan," team captain and tournament MVP Chiharu Iwasaki said. "We didn't expect to win. We just wanted to focus on our game."
Shortly after winning the title, Iwasaki and her teammates were ready to move on to the next order of business.
"Shopping and surfing are next on the list," she said.
The Hawai'i women's team won four games before losing to Keio in the semifinals.
The men's championship game was the highlight of the afternoon. Two-time defending champion Crease Monkeys, made up of players from the East Coast, faced Marin of San Francisco in a battle of the pros.
Marin, which won the Hawai'i Lacrosse Championship in 1998 and 1999, featured three of the top attackers in the country: Casey Powell (of the Long Island Lizards of Major League Lacrosse), Ryan Powell (of the Rochester Rattlers) and Jesse Hubbard (of the New Jersey Pride).
Marin led 6-3 at halftime. But the crowd favorite Crease Monkeys stormed back in the second half, tying the game at 7-all with nine minutes to go and then taking the lead a minute later.
That was the last lead the Crease Monkeys would enjoy, however, as Marin's all-pro attackers, brothers Casey and Ryan Powell, turned up the offensive heat, scoring three points in the last two minutes to secure the win for Marin with a final score of 11-9.
"It was a great game, with at least 20 world team players out there," Casey Powell said. "We travel to a lot of beautiful places and play some great competition, but it doesn't get any better than this."
Gavin Proat, of the Crease Monkeys, said the level of play was outstanding.
"To see this kind of talent at an offseason tournament is unbelievable," said the 2002 World Games All-Team member, and the 2002 MLL rookie of the year. "Regardless of winning or losing, this is a great experience for all of us."
Ryan Powell, who was a four-year All-American while playing for Syracuse University and is in his second year in Major League Lacrosse, was selected as the tournament's most valuable player with three goals and two assists in the finals.
Casey was 1999's most valuable player in the Hawai'i event.
Though Hawai'i had three teams in the men's tournament, none advanced past the quarterfinals. Old Hawai'i was 2-2, Hawai'i went 0-4, and Young Hawai'i finished 0-4.
