Quick Roundup: U.S. 12, Australia 4

PETERBOROUGH, Ontario — Kelly Amonte Hiller’s teams at Northwestern have long been known for their success on the draw.

In her role as head coach of the U.S. women’s U19 team, you can see the delight Amonte Hiller takes in working with draw specialists Maddie Jenner and Greta Stahl during the team’s practice sessions.

So, it should come as no surprise that dominance in the draw circle paved the way to a 12-4 victory over Australia in the opening pool play game for the U.S. at the 2019 World Lacrosse Women’s U19 World Championship.

Jenner, who won 88 draws as a freshman at Duke, started off hot and stayed in the game to carry the load in the circle. She won seven draws herself, helping the U.S. post a 16-4 advantage in the key statistical category.

Another big factor was the play of Bri Gross on the circle. Gross, a do-it-all midfielder from Vanderbilt, won five draw controls and also had a caused turnover to earn Player of the Match honors.

“I think Maddie and I work pretty well together on the draw,” Gross said. “We’re able to communicate.”

“They were awesome,” said Amonte Hiller. “Bri has really been just such a solid player for us and Maddie had a lot of success. We’ve had great success with both Greta (Stahl) and Maddie. Maddie had the hot hand today, so we kept going to her.”

Gross looked confident and comfortable from the outset, but there plenty of nerves to go around as the team finally took the field for a game they’ve been dreaming about since tryouts last August.

“I kept composed on the outside, but on the inside I was very nervous at the start,” Gross said. “For me, it’s that first draw, getting the ground balls. The little things really calm me down. That kind of kicks me into the game.”

“There’s always some pregame jitters, especially when you’re playing on this stage,” said U.S. goalie Rachel Hall.

The U.S. made its share of mistakes, but controlling possession through the draw and solid goaltending from both Hall and Madison Doucette kept the U.S. firmly in control.

Hall, who led the nation in saves at Oregon as a freshman this spring before transferring to Boston College, made seven saves while allowing just three goals in three quarters of play. Doucette closed the door in the fourth quarter, making four saves while allowing just one goal.

Offensively, the U.S. scored three goals in the opening five minutes with Izzy Scane assisting Caitlyn Wurzburger on two goals and Kasey Choma mixing in an unassisted tally. From there, they lacked the consistency Amonte Hiller was looking for, and they committed 13 turnovers.

“Offensively, I think we were a little tight with our shots and finishing and with some of our passes,” Amonte Hiller said. “But I think that’s natural for the first day out. Our goal is to get better every game and that’s really what we’re going to look to do.”

They’ll get another chance right away as the U.S. continues pool play on Saturday night at 8 p.m. against England in a game streamed live on Lax Sports Network.

“I’ve been waiting this for a year and it was everything I hoped for,” Gross said. “I can’t wait to continue playing because I know it’s only going to get better.”