Lacrosse 101

Lacrosse originates from eastern Woodlands Native American, being one of the oldest team sports in North America. Originally a male-only sport, it was introduced to women in the 1890's. The rules of women's lacrosse are simple. The games are played with 12 players on the field, including a goalkeeper. There are 4 attackers, 3 midfielders, and 4 defenders. Attackers line up on the opposing team's side of the goal, their main objective being to score goals. The midfielder's play out 3 different role's, the main midfielder takes the draw, controlling the outcome of the start of the game. The other two are a defensive wing and offensive wing playing both sides of the game. The defender's are on the opposite side of the field to the attacker's, protecting their own goal. The game last 60 minutes, with two halves.

 There are two different surroundings around the goal on both sides of the field; the eight-meter arc and the 12-meter fan. When a player commits a major foul inside either of these areas, the offense regains the ball and has a straight shot towards goal. If a player is inside the eight-meter arc for more than 3 seconds, there is a turnover to the other team, the only exception being if there is a player defending an opponent.