Suited up in their helmets, padding and gloves, the boys lacrosse team can be seen walking onto the field ready for a fight. However, the girls lacrosse team walks onto the same field only wearing goggles and mouth guards. Many differences can be seen between the two lacrosse teams, despite the fact that they play during the same season. Mainly, girls lacrosse does not allow for the same contact rules that can be seen in the boys’ games. Due to this, the girls have less gear in their games compared to boys lacrosse.
Even though boys and girls play on the same turf, senior captain of the boys varsity lacrosse team, Edison Jarvi, sees girls lacrosse as a whole different game.
“You are able to go hard and be physical and there’s no repercussions,” Jarvi said. “Whereas the girls game, they teach you a little bit more about footwork and just like moving fast because there is no contact. You have to have more finesse to be good at girls lacrosse.”
Similar to the contact rules in girls and boys hockey, girls lacrosse has stricter rules that don’t allow them to play as rough as the boys. Kinsley Aldridge, senior captain of the girls varsity lacrosse team, expresses the frustration and challenges that come with less contact that is allowed in girls lacrosse.
“In girls lacrosse you get a bad call for accidentally hitting somebody, but in boys lacrosse pretty much everything goes,” Aldridge said.
Differences aside, teamwork still applies for both the girls and boys lacrosse teams. Head coach of the boys varsity team, Mark has been playing lacrosse for over twenty years and started his freshman year on North’s lacrosse team. In order to improve the team, Seppala ensures that his players learn how to use teamwork to their advantage. “I think in any coaching position you take on a mentorship role,” Seppala said. “Every player is different but you try to figure out what motivates them and encourage them to be hard workers, be good players and be good people off the field.”
This year’s girls’ season has left their players feeling more optimistic, according to Aldridge. Ready to show off their improvements, Aldridge applies the encouragement from the stands to guide the girls team to success.
“When more people come to our games it encourages us to be better and to play harder because we really just want to impress our fans,” Aldridge said.
Fans do not just include parents, or students, but members of the boys team can be seen at the girls games and vice versa. According to Jarvi, he enjoys showing up to
the girls’ games to recognize the highlights and challenges the girls team faces.
“It’s a whole different set of rules,” Jarvi said. “It is interesting seeing the two sides of how lacrosse can be played.”
Both teams have been putting in countless hours of practice to keep up their status, and are ready to battle each other in an upcoming game. Seppala looks forward to seeing the boys grow this lacrosse season.
“I like to see that the players are optimistic and hardworking,” Seppala said. “I would like to continue that trend and just have them develop more lacrosse skills, be better teammates and have fun.”
