Lakewood, N.J. - There will be an undeniable Georgian Court flair next week north of the border as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico prepares to make its international debut at the 2019 Women's Lacrosse U19 World Championship, August 1-10 in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.

Incoming freshman defender, Talysa Jimenez, a resident of North Brunswick, N.J., will take the field as a member of the 22-player Puerto Rican roster in next week's competition, a squad that will be lead by former Lions' great, Natalie Bermudez ('10). A member of Georgian Court University's initial women's lacrosse program in 2007, and a driving force in the Lions' 2010 CACC title run, Bermudez most recently served for three seasons ('17-'19) as head coach at fellow-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference member, Felician University, in Rutherford, N.J.

"It is an absolute honor to be a part of the first Puerto Rico women's lacrosse national team," stated Jimenez. "This is a team I was born to be a part of. Knowing that we will be the pioneers of the sport for the Island is exciting and makes us want to play with extra passion and commitment.  My team and I are proud to be Puerto Rican and want to show it to the world through the sport of lacrosse.  I love lacrosse and I love that I get to be a part of something so special with these amazing women as we play together in Canada. We all hope to bring pride to all the Boricuas throughout the Island and in the United States."

Bermudez commented: "Through our assessments, we've identified a terrific group of players who bring a lot of experience, talent, and athleticism to our team, and are thrilled to be trailblazers for our program and our island." 

22 teams will be participating in this year's competition, including: Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, England, Germany, Haudenosaunee, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Chinese Taipei, USA and Wales. Of these teams, four will compete in their first-ever World Lacrosse event (Jamaica, Kenya, Puerto Rico and Chinese Taipei). Four others – Mexico, China, Belgium and Hong Kong – are competing for the first time at this level with a U19 team.

Puerto Rico will compete in Pool "E" with Belgium, Haudenosaunee, Hong Kong, and Israel. They will take the field for the first time on Friday, August 2 vs. Hong Kong. The complete schedule can be found here. Games will be streamed LIVE at https://www.laxsportsnetwork.com/.


CLICK HERE to visit the event's official website!