The Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team, consisting of members of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy advanced to the semifinals of U-19 World Games with a 28-2 win over Scotland. The Iroquois will now face host Canada, who won a 15-12 contest on July 5, in the semifinal on July 10. The Nationals are hoping to top a fourth-place finish, where they’ve placed the last three World Games dating back to 1998.
Established in 1983, the Iroquois Nationals represent the Haudenosaunee,
meaning the “People of the Longhouse” in international lacrosse competition.
The Iroquois, which signed a partnership with Nike, Inc. two years ago, have long been recognized as originators of the modern game of lacrosse. The players, 95 percent of whom play in college, travel with Haudenosaunee passports. The Iroquois are comprised of the Six Nations Confederacy, including the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora tribes.
Most of the roster is derived from Ontario, Canada as well as Upstate New York. Yet the head coach, Tony Gray, was the head coach at Oakton where he won three consecutive Virginia AAA state championships from 2003-2005. He led the Cougars to a state title berth again this year, and retired from coaching after the season.
The other Iroquois representatives include defenseman Forest Cox, a Potawatomi descendent and attackman Andrew Cordia, a Choctaw descendent, who scored two goals in the quarterfinal game. Cox is a rising senior at West Potomac, while Cordia attends St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes, where he was an All-Interstate Athletic Conference selection last season.
The Nationals have lost to the United States, as well as Canada by a combined eight goals. However, the Iroquois have blasted past Japan, England, Australia and Scotland by a combined 52 goals en route to a 20-goal per game average.
In November 2007, the Iroquois U-19 dominated the inaugural Madlax Capital Classic in Washington D.C., with Cordia ranking second in points at the tournament with nine goals and two assists.
The U-19 World Games, which started on July 3 will finish on July 12. Games are being played at Percy Perry Stadium in Coquitlam, British Columbia.