By MARK REY MONTEJO
The Philippine women’s lacrosse team finished its campaign at the 2025 Asia-Pacific Lacrosse Championship on a high note after demolishing Chinese Taipei, 18-6, to take home the bronze medal on Saturday, Jan. 11, at the Sunshine Coast Stadium in Queensland, Australia.
Despite reeling from back-to-back losses that relegated them in a battle for third place, the Nationals still maintained their resolve with Steph Lazo showing the way after scoring five goals in steering the Filipinas against their fellow debuting rivals.
Lazo’s goals gave enough separation from the Taiwanese, with scoring support also coming from Sarah Nelson, Lizzie de Guzman and Cat Roxas, who all chipped in three goals apiece.
It was a successful campaign as far as the unranked first-timer Nationals were concerned, having secured their first medal in an international competition highlighed by giving world No. 4 Australia and No. 5 Japan huge scares in their previous showdowns.
Lazo, who was named as player of the match, said they were grateful for achieving such feat.
“This means absolutely everything,” said Lazo.
“From the very start of this tournament, we faced adversity and stuck together. We adapted and adjusted, and this means so much for our country,” she added.
On top of the bronze medal, the Nationals had earlier booked a ticket to the 2026 World Championship in Tokyo, Japan after victories against higher-ranked rivals Hong Kong and China.
A tight first-quarter affair turned into a demolition in favor of Team PH as it flexed its might on both ends in the second period by extending its lead to four, 8-4, heading to the second half.
The Nationals resumed their pace as the Taiwanese failed to recover since then.
Meanwhile, Japan pulled off a 9-5 upset win over host Australia to clinch the gold medal for sixth consecutive edition while being unscathed.
Japan women’s club has been a consistent champion in the six-day long tilt, winning the top honors since 2009 for its sixth crown while Australia settled for a silver – its fifth overall.
