The lacrosse world converged on the Gongcheonpo Training Center fields in Jeju, South Korea, for the 2025 World Lacrosse U20 Men’s Championship earlier this month.
Twenty different nations participated, and players from New England helped fill a number of the roster spots.
While they may call the United States home, earning the opportunity to represent their families’ heritages brought players like Severen Johnson (Nashua, N.H.) – who played for Ireland – and Kyle Hata (Newton, Mass.), a University of Maryland commit who played for Japan, a great sense of pride.
“It means a lot to me, especially (since) my grandmother was from there and half my family’s Irish,” Johnson said. “It really makes me feel like I’m representing everyone. It’s significant because of my family and just knowing how proud they are and how proud my grandmother would be if she were still alive.”
