It was a day of blue and white, of orange and green.
On a recent Sunday morning, men’s lacrosse teams from Israel and Ireland met for a “friendly” — sports talk for an exhibition game or match — at Centre Island Beach Park in Bayville, L.I., near the edge of the Long Island Sound.
The American, Israeli and Irish flags flew overhead; before the competition began, the national anthems of the three nations were played, and a DJ took turns playing Israeli and Irish music while the teams warmed up.
Some 100 fans, many outfitted in their respective teams’ colors, watched from the sidelines.
The match, preceded by an exhibition game between the Israel women’s national lacrosse team and the Hofstra University club lacrosse team, was in preparation for the 2014 World Lacrosse Championships, which will take place in July in Denver.
Ireland is ranked ninth in the world; Israel’s squad, which began play only four years ago, has not achieved an international ranking yet.
Ireland won 11-10, overcoming a two-goal deficit in the fourth quarter.
Lee Coopersmith, of Boca Raton, Fla., led Israel with four goals. Israel’s head coach, Bill Beroza, is from Hempstead.
Before the match, local children took part in a youth lacrosse clinic, during which many donated equipment for players in Israel and Ireland.
The Israeli team’s appearances here were coordinated by the New York office of Israel Lacrosse (lacrosse.co.il).
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