The Philippine women’s lacrosse team got off to a great start but eventually lost its momentum, bowing to host Australia, 14-5, to wrap up the pool stage of the 2025 Asia-Pacific Lacrosse Championship at the Sunshine Coast Stadium in Queensland Wednesday, Jan. 8.

Coming off from their dominant first two games, the unranked Nationals held their composure after tying the match at 2-all in the first period, but the world No. 4 Aussies stamped their class in the next three frames to create enough gap which they preserved until the end.

With its win, Australia topped Pool A with a 3-0 slate while the Philippines sustained its first loss in three games.

Though losing to the crowd favorites, the Filipinas are assured of a spot in the semifinal wherein they will face Pool B’s top seed and world No. 5 Japan (3-0) this Friday, Jan. 10, at the same venue.

The other semis pair features the Australians against Chinese Taipei (2-1).

Final and battle for third games are set Saturday, Jan. 11.

Tied at 2-2, Australia immediately made its presence felt, firing four straight goals to seize a 6-2 lead in the second quarter.

However, the Philippine remained calm and collected to stay alive and make it just a 4-7 deficit heading into the break. It was the last-ditch effort, however, for the Filipinas as the Aussies took over thanks to Theodora Kwas’ 4-goal output to lead the hometown bets' assault.

Despite playing as a debutant in the tournament, the Philippines turned heads when it swiftly demolished No. 19 China (15-3) in its opening game then followed it with a 14-2 romp of No. 16 Hong Kong.

Those rousing two victories gave the Nationals a berth in the coveted 2026 World Championship in Tokyo, Japan where it has a chance to challenge powerhouse teams in the likes of the United States, Canada, England along with the other 12 participating countries.