Women's Lacrosse for Parents

 
 

Basics

Lacrosse is the fastest growing women's sport in the US. Odds are, you didn't grow up with the sport and you may not have seen it before. Or, maybe you have seen men's lacrosse and are wondering how different it is from women's lacrosse. Welcome and I hope you find this informative.


Key Statistics


  1. • 12 players on each team

  2. • Two teams play each other

  3. • Each team attempts to get the ball in the other team's net

  4. • The team with the most goals at the end of the game wins


Some Details


Players throw and catch with a "crosse" which is a stick with a webbed pocket on the end. The basket is very shallow which means the ball can come out very easily. Players must twist the stick back and forth while running (called "cradling") so that the ball does not fall out.




For those of you who have seen the men's game, a women's stick is much shallower. It's easier for the other team to jar the ball loose and players cannot "wind up" as far on a shot.


The ball is hard rubber about the size of a tennis ball





The game is played on a field about the size of a soccer or football field with markings that are unique to women's lacrosse. These markings will be explained later.




Non-contact game

Women's lacrosse is designed to be low contact. The rules are designed to not only enforce fair play but also to minimize the risk of dangerous situations.


Since it is low contact, the players do not wear any pads, just eye-guards. Only the goalkeeper wears pads since they have to block shots.




Except for the goalkeeper, everyone uses a standard length stick, eye goggles, a mouth guard, a jersey, and shorts or a kilt.





There are no "long sticks" like you might see in men's lacrosse




You may have seen play in the men's game that resembles hockey with big hits and wildly swinging sticks. All of that contact is prohibited in women's lacrosse so the game looks much different when you watch it.


Roles


Of the 12 players on the team,

  1. • 1 goalkeeper -  she is the only player on the field allowed to try and block a shot by the other team

  2. • 5 attackers whose job it is to get the ball up the field and score

  3. • 6 defenders whose job it is to keep the other team from scoring



That’s really all there is to it. If you want to go a little deeper, look at the next section: Game Play