FIT Women Press Releases
via FIT website/press releases, by Alen Henderson
Cailey Canessa to Represent Philippines at Super Sixes, Hong Kong Tournament
Melbourne, Fla. – Senior goalkeeper Cailey Canessa of the Florida Tech women’s lacrosse program will represent the Philippines on its inaugural women’s lacrosse national team at the 2023 World Lacrosse Super Sixes, Hong Kong Tournament in Wong Chuk Hang, Honk Kong, China from December 28-30, 2023 (EST).
“I have always been proud of my Filipino heritage,” said Canessa. “Growing up, I would always ask my grandma to make her Filipino dishes for me and teach me some words and phrases in her dialect. To be able to represent her home country for her is such an honor. Being given the chance to play and compete at an international level is such a privilege.”
Six different nations of seven teams split into two groups will make up the round-robin style tournament. Group A will consist of the Philippines, Czechia, Germany and Hong Kong, China II, with Group B consisting of China, Great Britain, and Hong Kong, China I.
Compared to the standard women’s lacrosse 12v12 games played on a 120×70-yard surface, with 60-minute games and 15-minute quarters, Sixes is a 6v6 game played on a 75×45-yard surface, with each game lasting 45 minutes, with four 8-minute, running-time quarters, with draws only occurring at the start of each quarter.
“As I enter my first sixes tournament, I’m thrilled and ready to compete,” said Canessa. “The format of the game has a smaller field, which means that there will be more contact and quicker transitions, so I’m looking forward to being able to play aggressively outside the cage.”
The 2023 Super-Sixes Tournament will be the first time the Philippines will be represented in the super-sixes format of women’s lacrosse. When asked about what it meant to be a member of the inaugural team, Canessa said,
“As a member of the inaugural Sixes team, I’m looking forward to the experience and hope to come out of the tournament having learned and improved from each game. This tournament marks only the beginning for our team, and I am excited for the growth and potential of women’s lacrosse in the Philippines.
“As an extension of the tournament, we will be traveling to the Philippines in the days preceding the games to do lacrosse outreach, such as putting on clinics and scrimmages with the local teams in Manila. I hope I can use these experiences to inspire the growth and potential of the sport for future generations to come in the Philippines.
Throughout two seasons with the Panthers, the junior goalie has appeared in 21 games, accumulating 677:38 minutes in net. She’s recorded a total of 64 saves with an 8-6 wins-to-loss record.
“Cailey making the Philippines Super Sixes team is a great accomplishment,” said Florida Tech head coach Kelsey Richardson. “She has put in a lot of hard work over the past couple of months, and it is an incredible opportunity! I’m excited for her to be representing Florida Tech in Hong Kong!”
The Philippines will play two games in the first days of the tournament going up against Czechia on Thursday, December 28th at 11:00 P.M. (EST), Friday, December 29th at noon (HKT). The Philippines second game will begin a couple of hours later against Hong Kong, China II on Friday, December 29th at 1:00 A.M. (EST), 2:00 P.M. (HKT). They will proceed to face Germany for their final game of round-robin play on Saturday, December 30th at 1:00 A.M. (EST), 2:00 P.M. (HKT).
Teams will earn points based on wins throughout round-robin play, two points will be awarded for a win while zero points will be awarded for a loss.
Day three will take place on December 30th, starting at 8:00 P.M. (EST), 9:00 A.M. December 31st with the semi-final games.
Teams that finish in first and second place in each group will advance to the semi-final games at . In both groups, the first-place team will take on the second-place team of the opposing group with the winner of each game advancing to the Championship game at 1:00 A.M. (EST), 2:00 P.M. (HKT).
For the latest news, updates, and information on Florida Tech Women’s Lacrosse, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
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Richardson Releases 2024 Season Schedule
Melbourne, Fla. – Florida Tech women’s lacrosse head coach Kelsey Richardson has announced the schedule for the upcoming 2024 season. The schedule features a total of 11 home games at Rick Stottler Field and seven games on the road.
This will be Coach Kelsey Richardson’s first season at the helm of Tech’s women’s lacrosse program. She is assisted by Kaitlyn Hardin and Sydney Bender.
The Panthers will open their season in St. Augustine, Fla. in a non-conference contest at Flagler College (Feb. 3) before traveling to West Palm Beach, Fla. to face Palm Beach Atlantic (Feb. 6).
The Crimson and Gray will then take host the England National Team (Feb. 9) and the Scotland National Team (Feb. 12) in a pair of exhibition contest.
Tech will head out of state to North Carolina in mid-February and faceoff against face Lenoir-Rhyne (Feb. 16) in Hickory, N.C., before taking on Wingate (Feb. 19) in Wingate N.C.
After The Crimson and Gray’s trip to North Carolina, they’ll head home for a five-game home stand starting against Regis (Mar. 1). Tech will then go on the host Anderson (S.C.) (Mar. 6), Holy Family (Mar. 9), and Westminster (Utah) (Mar. 12) before finishing their home stand against
Saint Anselm (Mar. 14).
Florida Tech’s final non-conference matchup will take place in Winter Park, Fla. against Rollins (Mar. 23).
Tech’s Sunshine State Conference opener will take place at home vs Embry-Riddle (Mar 27). It will be the start of a three-game home streak as they’ll go on to host Palm Beach Atlantic (Mar. 30) followed by Rollins (Apr. 3).
The next game on the Panthers SSC schedule, will see Tech travel to Tampa (Apr. 6) and go up against the defending SSC Spartans and proceed to play last year’s conference runner-up Florida Southern (Apr. 10).
The Panthers will split the final two games of the season at home and finish out their season on the road. First, they’ll welcome Lynn (Apr. 13) for Senior Day, before traveling to Saint Leo, Fla. where they’ll turn their attention to Saint Leo (Apr. 16) for the final game of the regular season.
For the latest news, updates, and information on Florida Tech Women’s Lacrosse, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
