Haudenosaunee Outlasts Chinese Taipei 11-8 in Opening Round Slugfest at the 2026 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship; Garlow Leads with Five Goals.

TOKYO - The Haudenosaunee Nationals battled to an 11-8 win over a tough Chinese Taipei in the opening game of Pool A at the Nissin Foods 2026 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship at Oi Stadium. Lois Garlow led the Nationals offense with five goals to earn Player of the Game honors. The Haudenosaunee Women also got two goals and three assists from Jalyn Jimerson, two goals and an assist by Avery Doran, and a goal and two assists from Alie Jimerson. The defense was backstopped by six saves from goalie Paige Crandall, many coming at crucial moments in the game. The teams shared 36-minutes of penalty time, including eight yellow cards and a red card. Haudenosaunee controlled 17 of 23 draws in the game. 

Jalyn Jimerson opened the scoring for Haudenosaunee two minutes in on a nice give and go with her sister Alie Jimerson. Paisley Cook caused a turnover on defense and pushed the ball ahead to Avery Doran who found Jalyn Jimerson midfield. Jalyn initiated a give-and-go with sister Alie who returned the ball to Jalyn cutting middle for the early 1-0 lead. Chinese Taipei responded as Alanna Wray found space out of the double team and scored driving down the lane to tie the game 1-1 with 10:37 remaining in the first. The Jimerson sisters connected again as Jalyn worked behind the net and found Alie cutting down the lane to bury her first goal of the tournament and give Haudenosaunee the 2-1 lead halfway through the opening quarter. The teams exchanged a couple of close scoring chances before a Paige Crandall groundball led to a runout as she found Sierra Cockerille streaking behind the defense. Cockerille’s first shot was saved but she got her own rebound in a scramble and found Doran on the backside of the crease. Doran scored her first goal of the tournament following a nice dodge and fake to extend the Haudenosaunee lead to 3-1 at 2:26 of the first. Lois Garlow joined the party on a free position shot she bounced five-hole to give Haudenosaunee a 4-1 lead with 15-seconds remaining in the quarter. 

The Nationals scored again to open the second quarter as Jalyn Jimerson worked behind the net and found a cutting Garlow who finished on the run at 11:55 of the second quarter. A third straight goal from Garlow came on a textbook pick and roll, as Sierra Cockerille fed Garlow on the left side who buried the shot to extend the lead to 6-1 with 9:49 left. But, the Haudenosaunee offense would stall a bit as Chinese Taipei hung tough and clawed their way back into the game. A flurry of yellow cards and free positions forced Paige Crandall into tight spots but she answered with several spectacular saves to keep Chinese Taipei off the board. Chinese Taipei would eventually break through as Tabitha Goon scored from the middle to cut the lead to 6-2 with 3:14 remaining in the half. Annika Wray followed up with her first goal of the game on a free position shot to send Chinese Taipei into the half trailing just 6-3. 

Chinese Taipei continued their run by scoring 90-seconds into the second half on Tabitha Goon’s second goal of the game. Two minutes later, another Chinese Taipei goal was waved off after Annika Wray earned a 10-minute red card for a dangerous shot as her stick hit Garlow on the head on the follow through. The Nationals took advantage as Avery Doran found Chloe Luther from behind the net and Luther buried a driving bounce shot for her first goal of the tournament and the 7-4 Haudenosaunee lead with 11:02 left in the third. Sierra Cockerille earned a 5-minute yellow card for swiping at 7:33 to put both teams down a woman. Cockerille was disqualified from the remainder of the game, as it was her second yellow card of the day. Tabitha Goon struck right away for Chinese Taipei driving through traffic for the bouncer to cut the lead to 7-5 with seven minutes to go in the third quarter. The game went back and forth with a few more crucial Paige Crandall saves before Chloe Luther was given a yellow card for swiping. Chinese Taipei took advantage as Alanna Wray dodged and drove middle to score and cut the lead to 7-6 with just under four minutes left in the third quarter. But, Lois Garlow responded with her fourth goal of the game on a beautiful give and go from the top of the zone with Jayln Jimerson on the assist to extend the lead to 8-6 headed to the final frame.

Avery Doran opened the scoring in the fourth as she worked the left side of the field and spun back middle to score four minutes into the fourth. A Bean Minerd yellow card for a dangerous check led to another goal by Goon from the free position to narrow the gap for Chinese Taipei to 9-7 with 8:51 left in the game. Alanna Wray followed with her third of the game for Chinese Taipei off a spin dodge into the lane and finish in traffic to make it 9-8 with five-plus minutes remaining. The Haudenosaunee veterans would put the game away as Garlow scored her fifth of the game on a free-position bounce shot from top following a critical caused turnover and groundball by Chloe Luther. Jalyn Jimerson slammed the door shut with two minutes to go as she worked behind the net and sent her defender to the ground on an ankle breaking split dodge and bounced the wrap around home for her second goal of the game and the 11-8 Haudenosaunee opening round victory. 

Despite the early morning start, the game was played under intense heat and humidity estimated at 100 degrees. The Haudenosaunee Nationals improve to 1-0 in pool play. Chinese Taipei dropped to 0-1 in their first ever appearance at the World Lacrosse Women’s Championship. The full box score and statistics can be found HERE.

Up Next: Haudenosaunee will face USA at 9 a.m. Local Time on Sunday, July 26 in their second game of Pool A. The game will be played at 8 p.m. EST on Saturday, July 25. All games can be streamed on World Lacrosse TV for $43.99 for the full tournament.  

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