Sports stats



Rochester Knighthawks

Poland Soars to Opening Victory

July 11, 2014 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


Team Poland opened the 2014 FIL World Lacrosse Championships Friday with a dominating 23-1 victory against Costa Rica in Commerce City, Colo. Poland, who made its FIL debut in 2010, made an impressive statement in the opening minutes of its Grey Division opener, scoring four goals in the opening four minutes.

The goal-scoring barrage was a sign of things to come for Poland, who got production from 10 different players, and scored the game's first 19 goals. The Poles were deadly on offense as they crisply moved the ball and used their speed to get open looks on goal.

In the opening quarter, it took former Stony Brook midfielder/attackman Michael Poch just 20 seconds to get on the board. Wojciech Filipek followed with four straight goals as Poland jumped in front 5-0 midway through the opening frame. His most impressive tally was at 7:45, as he scored off a quick-stick feed from Jan Rydzak. The duo hooked up again on Poland's fifth goal, as part of a five-goal effort from Filipek.

After two assists in the first 20 minutes, Rydzak netted his first goal of the afternoon at 3:06 of the second. Poch followed with his second of the game off an alley dodge. He completed his hat trick with 4:05 to play in the first half, as Poland took a 12-0 lead before halftime.

The third quarter belonged to Rydzak, as he scored four of his team's six goals to finish the game with a team-high six goals and nine points. With the score 18-0 after three, Remigiusz Hryniewicki notched the 19th straight Poland goal. Costa Rica got on the board five minutes into the fourth quarter on a bounce shot from James Collins, but Poland answered with four more goals to close out the contest.

Poland also received multiple-point efforts from Piotr Cyrkowicz (2+0), Patryk Piekos (2+2), Jedrze Baginski (1+1) and Joachim Pernal (0+2, five ground balls).

The defensive play was also solid as Costa Rica, playing in its inaugural FIL World Championships, was held to three shots on goal. Christian Dzwilewski, who earned the win, and Kacper Andrzejczak split the game in net for Poland.

Team Poland (1-0) will return to action on Saturday against Turkey, while Costa Rica (0-1) will battle the Czech Republic. The 2014 FIL World Lacrosse Championships opened Thursday night with the opening ceremonies, which showcased the athletes from a record 38 nations. The World Championships are being held at Dick's Sporting Goods Park from July 10-19. To follow all the action, go to www.worldlacrosse2014.com .

Check out the Rochester Knighthawks Statistics

• Discuss this story on the National Lacrosse League message board...

National Lacrosse League Stories from July 11, 2014


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central