A West Hartford native is part of the Peruvian National Team and recently played in World Lacrosse Men’s League Championship competition.

By Paul Palmer

When it comes to playing lacrosse, Isaiah Arteaga is making up for lost time.

The Hall High School graduate (2013) didn’t start playing competitively until his sophomore year. He’s now taken his game to another level having just played for Peru in the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship held in San Diego, CA.

“We were sort of the underdogs and shocked some people with how we played,” Arteaga said. Thirty teams from around the world qualified for the tournament – which was won by Team USA – but Arteaga and his teammates advanced out of the opening round and finished 22nd overall.

The West Hartford native was able to be a part of Peru’s National Team as he holds duel citizenship. His father, Gerardo, came to the U.S. from the South American nation at the age of 19 and lives in West Hartford. Arteaga’s mom, Elaine Walker, also lives in West Hartford.

Arteaga’s road to the world stage mirrors that of the nation he represented. Although he did not start seriously playing the game until later than most kids do, the midfielder found a love for the sport almost immediately. “I started by tossing the ball around with two of my buddies and it was so much fun. I loved it.” After graduating from Hall, he went on to play at Rivier University in Nashua, New Hampshire where he was a member of the men’s NCAA Division III team.

He stayed involved with the game playing where he could and by a stroke of luck found the Peruvian team. “After graduation I still wanted to play and a friend told me about the World Teams. I played for them the first time in 2018.”

Unlike many other teams representing countries from around the world, the Peruvian men’s team gets no government support. The players fundraise and pay for their own travel and tournament entry fees. Their goal is to not only play well, but more importantly to spread the game of lacrosse across Peru by holding clinics and getting kids exposed to the game to overcome the late start the country has had in the game … much like Isaiah Arteaga. “We do this because we love the sport. My teammates love their Peruvian heritage and culture,” Arteaga said.

The roster is made up of players as young as 17 and as old as their 40s. Some are living in Peru, but others like Arteaga are in the U.S. or other countries. Their team training sessions consists of on-line get togethers to go over strategies, watch videos, and catch up on each other’s lives. They do get together in Peru for on-field practices when they are in the country to help promote the game through the clinics they host. It is passion and pride that keep them together and help them work towards the goal of spreading the game of lacrosse and improving the caliber of player that will represent Peru.

To get to the 2023 World Championship, the team had to go through a qualifying tournament in Medelin, Colombia, where they placed third and won a bid to San Diego. Arteaga said that securing that spot went a long way to show just how far the team has come and it filled the players and supporters with excitement. “We had been waiting for it and were all excited to go. We wanted to be better and move up in the ranks. We were the only team from South America that qualified.”

At the games held at San Diego State University, the Peruvian Team had just four days of practices together to get ready. Arteaga described them as intense. But it was a great way to prepare for what lay ahead.

“Just getting through the tourney is a battle,” he said. “ We played 7 games in 9 days and you battle for every inch, every ground ball in every game.” They opened with a pair of 1-goal losses to Latvia and Holland before falling to Ireland (which finished 12th).

Their final game of the round was against South Korea and Arteaga recalled how a pre-game speech from the team captain set the tone. “He talked to us about ‘champa.’ It kind of means family, bringing it all together for each other.” They put it altogether in the matchup and won 17-5, thanks to a fast 10-0 start.

The win allowed Peru to then have a chance to qualify as high as 15th in the next round. The placement bracket started with a loss to a strong team from the Philippines, who would go on to finish 15th. One day later they faced off with Poland and despite Arteaga’s two goals, they fell 10-8 before losing in their final placement game to Latvia, 13-7.

With the 22nd place finish, Peru will have to qualify for the next World Championship to be held in 2026. “I’ll be there. I can’t wait,” Arteaga said about the next time.

For now, he’ll continue to get together with his teammates and play in games in the area when able to fit it in around his work as an EMT in Manchester. “It’s just mind over matter,” is how he described staying in playing shape. But he’s also aware of the life lessons that he has learned and he hopes he is passing along to younger players.

“Lacrosse keeps you tied to those that keep you going when you don’t want to,” he said. “If someone tells you how hard something is going to be, just focus on something you can accomplish each day and how that makes you a better person.”

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