Haudenosaunee Nationals women's team set course for semifinals at box lacrosse championships

The Haudenosaunee Nationals women's team have won three out of four of their games so far at the first-ever women's World Lacrosse Box Championship in Utica, N.Y.

Team captain Fawn Porter, who is Cayuga from Six Nations of the Grand River, said although the team lost their first game against the U.S. 11-4, it motivated her to lead the team to the gold medal game.

"That fired us up," she said.

"No one freaked out on that first game. They all knew what they had to do... The chemistry really showed and we all showed that we were there for each other."

The Haudenosaunee Nationals, made up of athletes from the Kanien'kehá:ka, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora nations, is a member of World Lacrosse and competes at the global level.

Traditionally only a men's sport, women's lacrosse is not sanctioned in all Haudenosaunee communities. Box lacrosse differs from field lacrosse in that it's typically played indoors on converted rinks.

The rules for women's box lacrosse are no different from the men's and the game is fast-paced and rough.

Porter said her grandmother is one of those traditional elders who does not sanction women playing the sport but still supports her granddaughter.

"The medicine picks you, you don't pick the medicine," Porter said she was told by her player liaison.

She said she and her teammates have been playing their whole careers for an opportunity to compete at this level.

Goaltender Chelsea Gibson, who is Cayuga from Six Nations, is a mom of three and she urged husbands to take notes from her partner "because he's at home with the babies and being a good hanih (father)" while she lives her dreams.

She said her children are self-proclaimed super fans of the Haudenosaunee Nationals after seeing their mom tend goal.

"This is so amazing to be a part of this history and I can't wait to see all the other younger ones coming up," Gibson said.

Head coach Jason Johnson, who is Onondaga from Six Nations, has coached championship teams in the National Lacrosse League for 16 years.