The Philippines endured a tough loss to Australia in the Finals, but the silver medal marks the best finish for the country in the Asia-Pacific Men’s Lacrosse Championship.
The Philippines ended its Cinderella run in the 2026 Asia-Pacific Men’s Lacrosse Championship with a silver medal, bowing to world no. 4 Australia in the Finals, 13-3, at Wellington, New Zealand on Sunday.
The Philippine team, which qualified for their third World Championship by making at least the semis, were unable to penetrate through the Australian defense.
After battling to a 0-0 stalemate at the end of the first quarter, Lucas Koczwara’s goal 48 seconds into the second period for Australia was a sign of things to come.
Even as Christian Tacogue equalized at the 16:31 minute mark to continue the Philippines’ promising start, Australia responded with four goals in 11 minutes to seize complete control heading into the third stanza.
Australia piled on the goals until the 39th minute, before Nicholas Marsh was able to pull one back for the Philippines, 8-2.
But the Australians were simply not to be denied as they won their first Asia-Pacific crown since 2007 — scoring five more goals en route to a 13-2 lead with less than five minutes left.
Jayden Basalatan scored a consolation goal for the Philippines at the 57th minute to arrive at the final score.
Despite the flat ending to their campaign, the Philippines won a historic silver medal, marking the first time that the men’s team finished on the podium in the regional tilt.
It was also the best finish for the Philippines in either men’s or women’s, with the women’s team having won bronze before.
Both Philippine teams are qualified for the World Lacrosse Championships slated this year and in 2027 for the women’s and men’s competition, respectively.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.