Paul WilliamsAntonio Masone
asst. sports editor
It is obvious to any spectator that the rough and rugged nature of men’s lacrosse is so much more exciting to watch than the passive game of women’s lacrosse.
The more aggressive style of play in men’s lacrosse for the most part is due to the rules and regulations. In men’s lacrosse, full body contact and stick-to-stick contact are legal. This makes for a very exciting game.
When watching womens’s lacrosse, I sometimes feel like I am at a baseball game; the field is filled with dead balls and stopped clocks.
Today, lacrosse in general is a very tough sport in which to excel. Whether it be men’s or women’s lacrosse, both games require a tremendous amount of skill and athleticism.
When it comes to the two teams here at Cabrini, it is obvious that the men’s team is much more devoted to the sport.
The women’s lacrosse team had their cute little spring break trip to Florida. Over that week, that the women’s team was laying by the pool and partying, with occasional practices scattered about. The men’s team was busting their humps with two practices a day and playing game in between, all this in a town where Wal-Mart was the main attraction.
All joking aside, we dedicate six days a week to the sport. During the season, lacrosse is mostly all we do. Beside school, and for some of us work, the rest of our time is filled with training, practices and games.
As for the women’s team, I feel they sell themselves short. The team is composed of a great group of talented girls. Head coach Jackie Neary works extremely hard to get the girl prepared for the season. I have been told that team frequently has days off, and for the most part only practices on days prior to games. In my opinion they are comfortable where they are now and do not strive to move to the next level. But again, that is just my opinion.
Jamie Knobler
staff writer
It’s the love for the game, not a battle of the sexes. Lacrosse however, is divided into the men’s and women’s game, which in ways are very similar and in others are very different.
Women’s lacrosse is way less physical than men’s. But because of the finesse and skill required by the women’s game, there doesn’t need to be as much violence on the field. Our stick checking is clean and off the body. We don’t wear padding, therefore we risk being checked in the face and head, and risk having balls hit us at any moment. Having someone slash a stick inches from your face to gain ball possession is a bit more dangerous than being laid out on the field from a body check. I would completely rather someone knock me flat on the ground than having a stick slice my face open.
Something that separates the game between the sexes is the mentality and skill used. The women’s game obviously uses more strategy than the men’s. We can’t run through five guys and expect to get a clear shot on goal. But because the guys have a deep pocket to hold the ball they can do that. We on the other hand have to constantly be on the move, desperately trying to lose our defender without the luxury of having a deep pocket to protect the ball. With the power of mind over matter and a hard cradle to hold the ball, women’s lacrosse proves true to having more stick handling skills.
The Cabrini men’s lacrosse team will be the first to point out how much more they practice than the women’s team. Okay, so we don’t practice everyday. But that doesn’t affect the way we’ve won five consecutive PAC Championships and gotten to the second round of the NCAA’s last year. It hasn’t, and I don’t think we plan on it either.
The members of the Women’s lacrosse team play with the mindset of quality vs. quantity. As long as we are comfortable with our performance in an hours worth of practice, why should we feel the need to beat ourselves down? We know we’re good.
Posted to the web by Lauren Joseph
