‘We embrace the pressure’

After their opening win in the Men’s Lacrosse World Championship, national men’s coach Mark Wilson says that his team is embracing the challenge of wanting to be among the best, something that they hope the win will spark.

Jamaica defeated Germany 5-3 in their Pool D opener in San Diego on Thursday.

Wilson says that from where they started when they convened for training camp to the performance that they displayed, he is pleased with how much they have grown and how well they executed against a difficult opponent.

“To see where it has come from those few practices to the way it manifested on the field with the guys playing at a high level, together and executing the game plan, it is very rewarding to see that. So I am very happy and very proud of them for coming together in that way,” Wilson told The Gleaner.

MAJOR UPSET

Jamaica pulled off the upset according to Wilson not only because of good defence against the sixth-best team in the world but also by being able to show their offensive skills themselves banking on a defensive plan that formulated since 2018.

“I always have very high expectations. But what I will say is having focused on the defence from 2018 to now and now being able to take a global look at it and having the staff put the whole thing together (was great). To me, the most impressive thing was the way the offence executed from a standpoint of controlling the tempo of the game and maximising their scoring opportunities,” Wilson said.

With a strong showing, Wilson acknowledges the elevated expectations. However, he says that the team is not daunted by them, but invigorated, wanting to show why they deserve to be at a high standard.

“Every time you win the expectations are greater too, and we want to live up to those expectations. We, as a group, embrace that pressure. We want to be recognised as one of the top teams in the world. And we are thankful to have the opportunity to be in a pressure situation where each win matters more,” Wilson said.

Bringing back a medal is the ultimate goal for the team who played their second game last night against Switzerland and will have to go through Poland and New Zealand to get out of the group. However, Wilson said that with eyes now on them, they have to ensure they maintain the high standard they set against Germany to have a chance.

“It’s about becoming professional. We have to continue to execute at the level that we started at. Everyone is going to have a good read on the things, you do well or the things you do poorly. So we need to make sure we not only continue to execute but to continue to develop and find more ways to improve our opportunities to create problems for teams on defence,’ Wilson said.

Jamaica won their second straight game late yesterday defeating Switzerland 10-5.