Canada midfielder Kevin Crowley (21) scores in the first half against the United States at the FIL World Lacrosse Championship game Saturday, July 19, 2014. Crowley scored five times and led Canada to win the world title.Karl Gehring/The Associated Press
Kevin Crowley scored five times as Canada fended off a late rally by the United States for an 8-5 victory on Saturday to win the world field lacrosse championships.
Cameron Holding, Mark Matthews and Curtis Dickson also scored for the Canadians, who built a 7-2 lead after three quarters before the Americans scored three times in the fourth.
Kevin Leveille led the U.S. with a hat trick, while Rob Pannell and Jesse Bernhardt also scored.
It's only the third time Canada has won the field lacrosse world championship with the Americans winning nine since the tournaments inception in 1967.
The U.S. went undefeated through round-robin play – including a 10-7 win over Canada in the tournament's opening game – to enter the playoffs as the top seed.
Earlier Saturday, Miles Thompson and Randy Staats had three goals each as the Iroquois Nationals downed Australia 16-5 in the bronze-medal game.
Lyle Thompson, Zach Miller and Mike Lazore had two goals apiece for the Iroquois, who were playing in the world field lacrosse championships for the first time in eight years. The Iroquois were unable to participate in the 2010 tournament in Manchester, England, after the British government refused to recognize their travel documentation.
Jerome Thompson, Vaughn Harris, Cody Jamieson and Roger Vyse also scored for the Iroquois, a team of aboriginal players from Canada and the U.S.
Anson Carter had four goals for Australia, while Nigel Morton also found the back of the net.