The New Zealand Development Team took on the Australian U19 Men’s Team in their first game at the Australian Lacrosse Association’s Men’s State Nationals in Melbourne.
A back and forth game saw scoring runs from both teams and the scores were close at 9-8 at the start of the fourth quarter.
The Australians’s had the strong finish in the fourth quarter to win 14-10.
A promising start for the New Zealand team however, with strong contributions from both ends of the field.
The starting defense of Andy Beetham, Zane Smyth and Mohamad Al-Khayat worked hard to restrict a high powered offense to few chances, with Heath Simone in goal making some clutch saves throughout the game.
The attack led the way on the scoring, with all three starting attack of James Devine, Toby Delamore and Casey McLain contributing goals.
The midfield were led by captain Eddy Roberts who also contributed a goal along with Omar Al-Khayat. Overall a strong showing from both the veterans and young up and coming players and a very positive start for the team in Melbourne.