Women's field lacrosse (or girls' field lacrosse), sometimes shortened to lax, is a field sport played at the international level with two opposing teams of ten players each (12 players per team at the U.S. domestic level). Originally played by indigenous peoples of the Americas, the modern women's game was introduced in 1890 at the St Leonard's School in St Andrews, Scotland. The rules of women's lacrosse differ significantly from men's field lacrosse. The two are often considered to be different sports with a common root.
The object of the game is to use a long-handled stick (known as a crosse or lacrosse stick) to catch, cradle, and pass a solid rubber lacrosse ball in an effort to score by hurling the ball into an opponent's goal. Cradling is a technique of moving the wrists and arms in a semi-circular motion to keep the ball in the pocket of the stick's head using centripetal force. The head of the lacrosse stick has a mesh or leather net strung into it that allows the player to hold the ball. Defensively, the object is to keep the opposing team from scoring and to dispossess them of the ball through the use of stick checking and body positioning. The rules of women's lacrosse are different from the men's lacrosse game. Equipment required to play is also different from the men's. In the United States, women are only required to wear eyewear or lacrosse goggles and a mouth guard. The stick has restrictions too, as it must be a certain length and the pocket must be shallow enough to show the ball above the side when held at eye level.
At the collegiate level in the United States, lacrosse is represented by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which conducts three NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championships, one for each of its competitive divisions, each spring. Internationally, women's lacrosse has a thirty-one-member governing body called World Lacrosse, which sponsors the Women's Lacrosse World Cup once every four years.
History
French Jesuit missionaries in the St. Lawrence Valley introduced the game of lacrosse, a traditional Native American game, to Europeans in the 1630s.Vennum, p. 9Liss, p. 13. The games were sometimes major events that could last several days. As many as 100 to 1,000 men from opposing villages or tribes would participate.Vennum, p. 183 Native American lacrosse describes a broad variety of stick-and-ball games played by them. Geography and tribal customs dictated the extent to which women participated in these early game: "Lacrosse, as women play it, is an orderly pastime that has little in common with the men's tribal warfare version except the long-handled racket or crosse (stick) that gives the sport its name. It's true that the object in both the men's and women's lacrosse is to send a ball through a goal by means of the racket, but whereas men resort to brute strength the women depend solely on skill." Rosabelle SinclairFisher, p. 200
The first modern women's lacrosse game was played in 1890 at the St Leonards School in Scotland, where women's lacrosse had been introduced by Louisa Lumsden. Lumsden brought the game to Scotland after watching a men's lacrosse game between the Canghuwaya (probably Caughnawaga) Indians and the Montreal Lacrosse Club. A British school teacher, Cara Gascoigne, at Sweet Briar College, started club lacrosse at that college in 1914. One of Lumsden's students, Rosabelle Sinclair, established the first women's lacrosse team in the United States at the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1926. The first women's intercollegiate game was held between Sweet Briar College and the College of William & Mary in 1941.
Until the mid-1930s, women's and men's field lacrosse were played under virtually the same rules, with no protective equipment. In the United States, the formation of the U.S. Women's Lacrosse Association led to a change in these rules. On the world stage, the International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations (today, World Lacrosse) was founded by Margaret Boyd, All-England Club player from 1934–51 and captain from 1937–51. Following World War II, she worked as a lacrosse coach in the United States and elsewhere for two decades.
Since 2001, the Tewaaraton Award has been given annually to the male and female voted most outstanding player at the college level in the US.
Rules
The details that follow are the United States college rules. In the U.S., 12 players constitute a full team, including the goalkeeper during usual play. The ball used in women's lacrosse is yellow (men's lacrosse uses a white ball). The duration of the game is 60 minutes split into four 15-minute quarters, with a two-minute break following the first and third quarters. Halftime is ten minutes unless both the coaches agree prior to the start of the game on fewer minutes. Each team is allowed three 2 minute team timeouts. A time-out may be requested by the head coach or any player on the field. With the addition of free-movement to both U.S. Lacrosse and NCAA rule codes, players are no longer required to drop their sticks in place during a timeout.
Before a game can begin, every stick that each player is planning on using during the game must be approved by the referee; the process is called a "stick check". The evaluation is based on a set of standards created by U.S. Lacrosse and the NCAA. These standards may change as new sticks are being created by lacrosse equipment companies. During a stick check, a standard lacrosse ball is placed into the head of the stick and viewed by the referee at eye level. If the ball cannot be seen over the top of the side-wall of the head of the stick, then the pocket is too deep for play. The stick may also be checked by placing the ball in and tilting the stick at about a 45 degree angle and letting the ball roll down and out of the stick. This occurs on both the back and the front of the stick. If the ball gets stuck, then the pocket is too deep and the strings must be adjusted. A pocket that is deeper than regulation causes an unfair advantage for the individual with the stick. If the stick pocket is too deep, this can be fixed by tightening the stringing, but if a stick's pocket depth cannot be adjusted to regulation, the stick cannot be used in the game. An example of a stick stringing regulation is that the shooting string attachment must be from the top of the head. After a player scores a goal, the player must drop her stick so that the referee can check that the stick is within regulation. This rule applies only in collegiate and professional lacrosse, while in high school and club play, as long as the stick is cleared prior to play, it does not have to be checked after a goal is scored. However, a coach may request a stick check following a goal, and if the goal-scorer's stick pocket is too deep or the stick is non-standard, the goal will be overruled. Also, throughout the game, an opposing team may challenge a player's stick, meaning asking the referee to check that a player's stick is legal for play.
The rules of women's lacrosse differ significantly from men's lacrosse. In international women's lacrosse, 10 players constitute a full team, and its rules differ slightly from the U.S. rules.2007 IFWLA Women's Lacrosse Rules , International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations
The women's lacrosse game saw numerous rule changes in 2000. Modifications included limiting the number of players allowed between the two restraining lines on the draw to five players per team. This rule has since been modified so that only three members per team may be within the restraining lines prior to either team gaining possession of the ball after the draw. Stick modifications have led to offset heads, which allow the women's game to move faster and makes stick moves and tricks easier. The stick became similar to the men's stick, with a deeper pocket and more rounded head. In 2002, goggles became mandatory equipment in the United States (but not a requirement in international rules). In 2006, hard boundaries were adopted. Prior to hard boundaries, referees stopped play when the action moved too far away. Passes that were thrown out of bounds would be awarded to the team closest to the ball. After this rule change, balls lost out of bounds became turnovers and were awarded to the opposing team, except on a shot, in which case, the player closest to the ball at the time it went out of bounds would have possession. One of the rules for player safety is called "shooting space", which prohibits a defender from running directly into the shooting lane of the player about to shoot in order to obstruct a shot on goal. The shooting lane can be visualized by imagining two lines extending from the ball carrier, one going to the left side of the goal circle, and the other going to the right. The defender cannot enter this space unless they are within a stick's length of the shooter. To avoid this, the defender must run up at an angle to the player about to shoot. This violation can only be called if the defender is in the critical scoring area and the attacker is within the 12-meter with the ability to shoot.
In 2013, women's NCAA lacrosse included a changed rule on defending. When their team does not possess the ball, players in their defending end of the field may run through any portion of the 8-meter arc for as long as three seconds without marking an attacker. Players that are on attack are not allowed to run through the goal circle.
In 2015, for the 2016 season, there were a few other major rule changes. Players are allowed to kick the ball in order to get it out of traffic (in the past, kicking the ball resulted in an automatic relinquishing of possession to the other team). Also, players are allowed to self-start after an opposing player commits a minor foul against them. Before moving forward, one must stand still in an athletic stance before self-starting to let the referee know the player is ready to continue with game play.
In 2016, for the 2017 season, NCAA Division I implemented a 90-second possession shot clock, which was added to Divisions II and III in the following year.
In the summer of 2017, the NCAA added more major changes. Prior to the newest addition, all players needed to stop play upon whistle of the referee. Play was resumed upon another whistle or continuation by self-start. Free movement was implemented, meaning upon the whistle for a foul, play does not stop unless for halftime or the end of the game. Also, the defense is allowed to run through the crease of the lacrosse goal. For the draw, only 3 players, instead of 5 players, from each team are allowed into the midfield area until possession has been established. Last, a player must move out of the 8-meter arc after a penalty has been called.
In 2021 and 2022, there were further significant rule changes. The pre-game stick checks by referees were eliminated. In the past, players had their sticks checked by the referees to ensure they were within regulation. A player's stick instead will be checked after each goal scored by that player. Throughout the game, a team can request the referee to check an opposing player's stick. If the stick is illegal, the team requesting the stick check gains possession of the ball. If the stick is within regulation, the team requesting the check loses possession. If a team requests a check that affirms a legal stick for a second time, it loses a timeout. If a team has no timeouts remaining, it is not allowed to request a stick check. Another rule change eliminated the two 30-minute halves, instead implementing four 15-minute quarters with 2-minute breaks following the first and third quarters. The possession clock procedure has also changed in order to achieve fewer stoppages. When showing less than 60 seconds, the clock resets to 60 seconds if a team's offense regains possession of the ball after a goalie save or a shot that rebounds off of the goal.
Players