As we reach the warmer, spring months, it’s time for Girls Lacrosse! This year’s tryouts took place at the Varsity Campus on March 3.
Lacrosse is a competitive, physically demanding, team sport that is played with a lacrosse stick and ball. Each team plays with 12 players on the field. There are four defenders, four attackers, three midfielders, and a goalkeeper. Lacrosse holds more players on the field than most sports, having up to 24 players on the field at once.
With these many players, there are limitations. Only seven players from each team are allowed to pass the restraining line also referred to as “the box” on each side of the field, which is approximately 20 yards off the 50-yard line.
The game’s objective is to shoot the ball into the opponent’s goal. This is done by taking the lacrosse ball with the lacrosse stick and whipping it into a netted goal. Additionally, when doing so, Girls Lacrosse has a shooting space. Defenders can not enter an attacker’s shooting lane when they’re within one stick length of the net.
Unlike Boys Lacrosse, Girls Lacrosse is a non-contact game. So, instead of helmets, padded gloves, and shoulder and arm pads, Girls Lacrosse only uses protective eyewear and a mouthguard.
Since Girls Lacrosse is non-contact, many game mechanics differ, such as faceoffs. The ball is placed between the sticks of the two girls, who launch the ball up, trying to get the ball for their team.
In Boys Lacrosse, the ball is placed on the ground and the 2 players will clamp at the ball with their sticks trying to push the ball to a teammate. The players tend to push each other around due to contact being allowed.
This was one of the biggest show outs for Girls Lacrosse tryouts, with around 50 girls showing up trying to play. “We are a no-cut team, everyone makes JV or Varsity,” said Varsity Captain Skylar Daquilante. Lacrosse is a relatively new high school sport in Illinois, just being recognized as one by the Illinois High School Association, IHSA, in 2018.
The Taft Girls’ Lacrosse tryouts consist of many different activities to evaluate all of the players. “We run through passing drills, shooting drills, and agility drills,” said senior Emily Lind.
Daquilante added, “It’s a good time for all of the girls to get to know one another.”
Someone who is trying lacrosse for the first time can expect a lot from the team. “A new player could expect to have fun. We encourage new players to join all the time, no skills necessary, and we just want them to have fun,” said senior Alanna Peña.
“A new player can expect a lot of conditioning and better be ready to work hard,” Lind added.
“To future people thinking of joining lacrosse, I would say to try. No skills are necessary when first joining the sport but we encourage players to try to learn the sport so you’ll be able to support your teammates. Other than that just have fun with the sport and no worries if you know nothing about it,” said Peña.
