To some, lacrosse is a game of speed, agility and finesse. Others know it as a hard-fought and physical contest, much like football. While a number of sports feature different rules for indoor and outdoor playing conditions, few sports other than lacrosse are governed by significantly different rules depending on athletes' gender.
Even the most basic equipment for lacrosse is different for men and women, from small aspects, such as the color of the ball used -- yellow for women's lacrosse and usually white for men's lacrosse -- to more significant features such as the varied lengths of the sticks, or crosses, used. The longest crosse used by women is about the size of the shortest used by men, and the longest used in the men's game is almost twice the length of the shortest crosse used in the women's game. In each game, defenders can use longer crosses to check an opponent's stick than attackers, who use their crosses more for control and precision. The depth of the nets on the crosses also differs, as men's may be deeper. These nuances contribute to the style of play.
Though stick-checking is legal in both men's and women's lacrosse, that is where the similarities end. In the men's game, a player defending an opponent with the ball may check that player with his body if the check comes in the torso area and not from behind. That defender may also strike the gloved hand of the opponent. Both of these actions are deemed to be major fouls in women's competition.
Those differences in the physicality of the game would require a member of either sex to adapt if he or she had to play under the other sex's set of rules.
"Physically, you have to be stronger and faster for men's lacrosse," senior attacker Megan O'Malley said. "A simple thing such as the power of your shot -- men shoot so much faster. They hit so much harder and that really affects how you play seven-versus-seven attacks. We definitely have to beat more people to goal because there is no shooting space for men, so they can rip it. For us, we have to beat that one girl that is sliding. The power of your shot and the way you're going to get hit are the biggest differences."
These differences are just the tip of the iceberg in the divergent evolution of men's and women's lacrosse.
Lacrosse began as a game played by Native Americans to solve tribal conflicts and to prepare young men for warfare, as well as to serve religious purposes. This earliest version of the game was played on a pitch that could encompass several miles of area, which had to be covered by hundreds -- if not thousands -- of men. The competition itself was vicious, lasting many days. Some players even died from injuries or exhaustion.
When discovered by 17th-century French missionaries, the travelers noticed the sticks resembled a bishop's crosier. Those missionaries termed the spectacle they witnessed "le jeu de la crosse," translated as "the game of la crosse."?
As the game became more popular among settlers, it was condensed and standardized in the mid-19th century. Just a few decades later, before the turn of the century, the game was adopted for the play by women. This adaptation held more true to the Native American roots of the game, as it boasted a larger playing surface and more players than the previous standardization of the game for men. Together, the physicality of men's lacrosse coupled with the scope and gracefulness of the women's game provided an amalgamation of the game's beginnings.
Those differences generally still hold true today. The pitch on which men play is generally about 110 yards long, with 80 yards between the goals, whereas the women's field can be up to 140 yards long, with 100 yards between the goals. Women also play on a generally wider field. The field also is configured differently for play, as men are controlled by a midfield line, and women have two restraining lines. There must be at least four men of a given squad in the defensive half and three in the offensive half at all times, while there may only be seven women in a restraining area at any time. The field itself is a large determinant in the differences in style of play between the two sports.
The number of competitors also changes the game. In NCAA competition, men play with 10 players: three each of attackers, midfielders and defenders, as well as a goalkeeper. The women's game, however, features 12 players, with the same number of players for the positions, with the exception of two extra midfielders. This difference allows the women's game to be smoother and more fast-paced.
The fact that men's lacrosse is more physical is also highlighted by the way fouls are enforced. A personal foul in a men's game is penalized by one to three minutes in the penalty box, much like ice hockey. Similar to soccer, penalties in women's lacrosse involve minor infractions, yellow cards and red cards. Two yellow cards amount to a red card, for which a player is ejected from a match. A women's team captain is also awarded a green card if her squad commits a delay of game. These governing rules are just another way the men's game is tailored to be rougher, while the women's game rewards gracefulness.
The biggest difference governing play in today's game is "how we are allowed to defend," women's coach Julie Myers said. Women cannot enter the shooting space of an attacker and therefore cannot direct their shots. Women also must move through the shooting area in fewer than three seconds if they are not within a stick's length of the attacker.
"As a defender, it immediately affects me," senior defender Alice Hughey said. "It is important for us to learn that part of the game and it has to be trained into you. We have to deal with that in our defense and the guys don't"
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