By Aly Walsh
Lacrosse looks increasingly likely to be included in the LA Olympics in 2028 and beyond and Footscray Lacrosse Club (FLC) is producing world-class athletes competing at the highest level.
Seven of the club’s state league women’s team (pictured) represented Australia at the Women’s World Lacrosse Championships in Towson, Maryland, in July. The Australian team fell agonisingly short in the bronze-medal match against old foe England, in a game that needed three periods of extra time to determine the winner.
The team exacted its revenge a week later at the World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, when it won bronze against England in the proposed Sixes Olympic version of the game. Club captain Lucas Parsons-Quintiao (pictured) also represented FLC at the World Games. He was part of the Australian men’s team, which finished sixth in the Olympic lead-up event.
The eight FLC Australian representatives — Sarah Mollison, Rebecca Lane, Steph Kelly, Theadora Kwas, Sarah Smith, Georgia Latch, Bonnie Yu and Lucas Parsons-Quintiao — all started lacrosse as juniors at Footscray. Six of the club’s female athletes went on to play at division 1 colleges in the US and also represented their country.
Sarah Mollison; a five-time Australian player, forged the way for her teammates by leaving Australian shores in 2008 on a scholarship to the University of Maryland, a college rich in lacrosse history. Sarah won a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship in 2010, captained the team in 2011 and was named a Tewaaraton Finalist in 2011 (awarded to the best US college lacrosse player).
This paved the way for fellow teammates to follow in Sarah’s footsteps and play at elite US colleges on scholarships: Theadora Kwas (Maryland University), Rebecca Lane (St Joseph’s University), Steph Kelly (St Joseph’s University and Rutgers), and the two rookies of the team Bonnie Yu (St Joseph’s University) and Georgia Latch (Loyola University). Georgia won the Patriot League Rookie of the Year award in 2022.
Another FLC player, goalkeeper Paige MacGibbon, was part of the Under 23 Women’s Touring Team that competed in the Vail Lacrosse Shootout in Colorado and the World Festival in Towson, which ran alongside the world championships.
Club President Tim Lane said the women’s achievements were “amazing”. “Through adversity they have played as a team, as mates and have represented our club and country with pride and passion. We are incredibly proud of all of our Australian Representatives and look forward to seeing what they can achieve when lacrosse is included in the Olympics in LA 2028”, Mr Lane said.
FLC is pushing hard to find the superstars of tomorrow, running a strong, successful and inclusive junior program that fields teams in both boys and girls from ages five to 18. “With the Brisbane 2032 Olympics just around the corner, it is a real possibility that kids playing in our under 10’s program can be playing in a home Olympics, which is incredibly exciting,” Mr Lane said.
For further information on how you or your children can get involved in lacrosse, contact Footscray Lacrosse Club via email at recruitment@footscraylacrosseclub.com.au
