About the author – Marty Ward has been head coach at Florida Southern College for four seasons.  A graduate of Corcoran High School in Syracuse, N.Y., Ward was a two-time team captain for Limestone and a three-time all-conference selection.  He was the starting goalie for the Iroquois Nationals program that finished fourth at the 2006 World Lacrosse Championship and he was rated second in the nation in saves.  World Lacrosse Championships-Denver, Colorado July 10-19 2014 We have had a busy couple of days playing three games in three days.  This tournament is not only physically demanding but it can also be a mental challenge as well.  The team is in high spirits despite our tough loss to Canada on Sunday night 9-8…we all know we didn’t play our best game so we can certainly play with the top two teams in the world…Japan was a fun battle and it is awesome talking to them after the game and hearing the communication on the field.  They play extremely hard and with a great passion for the game.  The Aussie game was a bit of a trap game in my honest opinion because we had to battle Canada until late on Sunday night with a heart breaking loss…then turn around and play a tough Aussie squad that is always one of the more fit teams in the tournament.  We were tied 8-8 when we had to get off of the field for a two hour lightning delay which definitely helped our guys get some more focus on what we needed to do to win the game.  The locker room had a social environment with traditional songs being sang and a challenge dance ensued…players and coaches alike had to try and pick up a hat with an eagle feather tied to the top by using only our mouths…with no hands or knees touching the floor…a lot of laughter ensued!  We also had a special guest in our room, Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills who is the only Native American to win a gold medal at the Olympic games,  this was very inspiring and it helped the team understand again what we are here to do…live in the moment and believe in ourselves…we stormed out after the rain delay and scored four straight goals on route to a 12-10 victory over the Aussies…bringing our record to 3-1…tonight we have the USA so please tune in and support the Iroquois Nationals at 7pm eastern on ESPN U. Game Scores – Vs. England 15 – 4 W Vs. Japan 24 – 9 W Vs. Canada 9-8 L Vs. Australia 12-10 W