At this point in time, I have worked multiple Illinois Wesleyan University lacrosse games with little knowledge of all the rules. I have found that multiple people are in this same predicament, so I enlisted the help of ruleofsport.com and a former lacrosse-playing friend to explain the rules of the game to me and Argus readers.
Each lacrosse team has ten players on the field: three defenders, three midfielders, three attackers and one goalie. Defenders guard the other team’s attackers, intercept passes and get the ball out of the defensive zone. Midfielders are responsible for playing both offense and defense, and they move the ball around on the field. Attacks get the fun job of scoring goals and creating other offensive opportunities. A goalkeeper’s job is pretty self-explanatory.
In Division III lacrosse each quarter is 15 minutes long. In men’s lacrosse, the games start with a face-off, requiring two players at the center of the field when the ball is dropped between them. The other midfielders are allowed to go after the ball, but everyone else has to wait until a team has possession of the ball to move. Women’s lacrosse requires a draw, where two players stand in the middle of the field and flick the ball in the air to try and catch it to start play.
I have lovingly given men’s lacrosse the nickname “field abuse.” This term is not far off because men’s games get much more physical than the women’s games. But, both men’s and women’s objective to win the game does not change. The simple fact is you have to score more goals than the other team to win.
And to be honest, that is all there is to it. Obviously, the rule remains that you can not stick a player in the head and cross-checking is frowned upon. You don’t want to end up with a yellow card!
I am obviously not a lacrosse professional, and I am not sure if I even had fun discovering how to play this game, but at least I am better equipped for the next time Katie Gonzales asks me to stand on the field at Tucci Stadium for two-plus hours with my phone in hand.
