Sarah Gilbert / The Collegian

Women̢۪s lacrosse is a unique sport and different from anything the Valley has seen before

The addition of women̢۪s lacrosse to Fresno State athletics has left many wondering: what exactly is lacrosse?

“It’s a great crossover sport,â€Â head coach Sue Behme said. “It’s a combination of soccer, ice hockey, basketball, field hockey and some other sports.â€Â

The objective of the game is to get a yellow or orange ball into the opposing team̢۪s net, but it is not as easy as it sounds.

Behme said that with a total of 12 players on the field (11 field players and one goal keeper), there are restraining lines 30 yards from each goal that regulate player movement.

According to Behme, only seven attackers are allowed past the offensive restraining line and seven defenders plus the goalkeeper, are allowed past the defensive line at any given time.

“Sometimes it can be hard because you have to constantly be counting how many people are on each side of the line,â€Â freshman member of the Bulldog squad Jennifer Rose said.

When an attacking team has more than seven players past the restraining line, they lose possession of the ball. However, if a defending team violates the rule, it̢۪s closest defender to the ball is re-positioned four meters from the ball carrier.

“Aggressive” sport plays by its own rules

These characteristics define women̢۪s lacrosse, which is often perceived to have the same rules as men̢۪s lacrosse.

But what most people don̢۪t know is that men̢۪s and women̢۪s lacrosse are completely different sports.
“Everything is different between men’s and women’s lacrosse,â€Â said Behme. “The only things that are the same are the ball, the goal and the goal keeper equipment. That’s it.â€Â

Men̢۪s lacrosse is classified as a contact sport and thus requires players to wear helmets, mouthpieces, gloves and other protective equipment.

While the rules for women’s lacrosse doesn’t allow for much physical contact and only requires a mouthpiece and protective eyewear, it is still a “very aggressiveâ€Â sport, according to Behme.

“Women’s lacrosse has a goal of not becoming men’s lacrosse,â€Â said Behme. “We want our sport to evolve as a sport of its own and the goal is just to raise the level of play.â€Â

With lacrosse coming to the Valley, Behme said it has been a struggle to make it clear that women̢۪s lacrosse is a game of its own.

“Most people hear the word lacrosse and automatically think of how the men play,â€Â said Behme. “We want to show what women’s lacrosse is.â€Â

Coach urges Valley residents to see for themselves

And the Bulldog program seems to be doing a good job already getting the word out about women̢۪s lacrosse.

At the team̢۪s first clinic in August, only four people were enrolled, but at its latest clinic on Jan. 24 more than 100 girls came to learn the sport.

“Even though we won’t have a winning season, it’s going to be a really fun experience,â€Â Rose said. “Lacrosse is just something new around here and we are making history; I’m just glad to be a part of it.â€Â

Saturday at 1 p.m. the Bulldogs will kick their season off at home against the University of California, Berkeley and the team is hoping to draw many spectators.

The game is one of only two home games the Bulldogs will host this season. The games will be played inside Bulldog Stadium.

“We really hope everyone comes out to the game,â€Â said Behme. “It’s a new, fast and exciting sport.â€Â

<5>Just the basics…

Here is a quick look at the basics of women̢۪s lacrosse:

̢ۢThe object of the game is to score more goals than the opponent. Each goal scored counts for one point.

̢ۢ The game consists of two 30-minute halves separated by a 10 minute halftime.

̢ۢ Each team is allotted two time outs, including overtime.

̢ۢ Overtime is played with two three-minute halves. If neither team has scored at the end of overtime, then the the teams will play sudden death.

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