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My Favorite Division 1 Women’s Lacrosse Player

My all-time favorite division 1 women’s lacrosse player is Jamie Ortega. Jamie Ortega is a very strong,smart player who is one of the best attack,which is the same position I play, players ever. She averaged five goals a game and led North Carolina to winning the ACC championship and to the semi-finals in the National Tournament. In the NCAA Tournament alone, in only three games, she totaled ten goals and five assists. She is currently ranked twelfth in North Carolina history for scoring with 198 points total. She continues to improve every single season and is on track to break the all-time scoring record at UNC. 

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Minnesota Girls Youth Lacrosse

Since lacrosse, especially in the Midwest, is still very new there are not a lot of options for youth programs. Most girls start playing lacrosse either from hearing about it from their friends or someone in their family has played. Some schools in Minnesota like Prior Lake or Stillwater have youth teams young girls could join. In my experience, this was not the case. My high school does not have a youth team at all and the majority of girls do not know anything about lacrosse until eighth grade or freshman year of high school. This creates a big set back for girls not exposed earlier to lacrosse and it is very different for schools with youth teams and schools who do not. The other option for girls if their school does not have a youth team is for them to play club lacrosse. Compared to other states especially on the East or West Coast, Minnesota does not have a lot of club teams, but there still are options depending on skill level and location. Some examples of club teams are Minnesota Elite, True MN,Lacrosse Monkey, and Frog Lacrosse. 

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My Favorite Division 1 College Women’s Lacrosse Team

My favorite Women’s Division 1 College Lacrosse Team is definitely North Carolina. They are my favorite team mainly because of their long running reputation in women’s lacrosse. The North Carolina women’s lacrosse team plays in the Atlantic Coastal Conference, or more commonly know as the ACC. This is, without a doubt, the bet conference for division 1 sports in the country. Even though they are in the ACC and it has the best women’s lacrosse teams, North Carolina has won the past four ACC titles in 2016,2017,2018, and 2019. They have continuously dominated the ACC and also done very well in the National Tournament. North Carolina has always been seen as a powerhouse in women’s lacrosse and with that reputation, they continue to produce amazing teams. 

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History of Lacrosse

The beginning of Men’s Lacrosse

Men’s lacrosse was created by the Native Americans, but it was actually originally called stickball. It started in the Algonquian tribe and then gradually spread to others. Games were treated as grand events and typically lasted seven days. The games were used to “toughen” young boys, a form of recreation, or even religious reasons. The Europeans had never seen lacrosse until they saw a game being played in the 1630′s.

How Women’s Lacrosse started 

Women’s lacrosse did not begin till much much later. The first women’s lacrosse game was played in Scotland at St.Leonard’s School in 1890. The headmistress at the school had seen a men’s lacrosse game played in Canada then brought it back to Scotland. Overtime women’s lacrosse spread to England and became not just a high school sport but a club sport as well. It took a lot longer for women’s lacrosse to come over to the United States and it was not started here until 1926. 

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Top 5 Minnesota High School Girls Lacrosse Teams

In recent years there has been some big changes in the top girls lacrosse teams in Minnesota. Lacrosse has been growing at a tremendous rate causing some schools to go up in rankings very quickly. This is the current top five girls lacrosse teams in Minnesota. 

1.Prior Lake(Record:13-4)

Prior Lake is new to the top of the rankings for Minnesota Girls High School lacrosse. Even though Prior Lake is known around the state for various other sports like hockey and volleyball, they have never actually won a state tournament for girls lacrosse,until the 2018-2019 season. They have been participants in the state tournament in 2015-2017 and 2019 when they finally won. 

2.Eden Prairie(Record:16-3)

Eden Prairie is constantly one of the top five girls lacrosse teams in Minnesota. They have gone to the state tournament every year from 2007-2019. They have won state five out of the last eleven years.Year after year they come back with a strong team that typically dominates anyone they play against. 

3.Maple Grove(Record:14-2)

In the past, Maple Grove has not been one of the top five teams. But, the past three years in 2017,2018, and 2019 they have been to the state tournament and made it pretty far. Even though they have never won state for girls lacrosse, Maple Grove is another school just like Eden Prairie and Prior Lake where they are known to have very good athletics. 

4. Champlin Park(Record:13-1)

Champlin Park is a lot like Maple Grove. They were not a big girls lacrosse school in the past, but they have been to the state tournament 2013,2014,2015, and 2019. They are usually very on and off with different years, but most of the time they are a very hard team to play.

5. Lakeville South(Record:11-1)

Lakeville South is very much like the bigger schools such as Eden Prairie and Prior Lake. They have extremely good athletics and a lot of girls who play lacrosse from a young age. They have been to the state tournament 2014,2015,2016, and 2019. 

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Men´s Lacrosse vs Women´s Lacrosse

Everyone who has seen a Men´s lacrosse game and a Women´s lacrosse game knows that they are very different. These are the top three reasons they are so different:

1. Contact

The first difference between Men´s lacrosse and Women´s lacrosse is the amount of contact. In both games there is stick checking, which is a very aggressive form of contact. Players will swing their stick to hit another player´s stick causing the ball to drop. This can be very dangerous because players could miss and hit the other player somewhere on their body. The form of contact that Men´s lacrosse has that Women´s lacrosse does not have is full body checking that is similar to hockey. They can freely hit whoever they want as long as it is deemed as fair and not overly aggressive. 

2.Equipment 

The second difference between Men´s lacrosse and Women´s lacrosse is the equipment needed. While a lot of the equipment is the same, there are some key differences. Men´s lacrosse requires helmets and pads, different sized sticks depending on what position you play, and the uniform attire. Helmets and padding are needed for Men´s lacrosse because of the element of checking. This helps to protect the players and minimize injury. The different sized sticks are needed for if you play defense, attack, or midfield. Some sticks are longer, for defense, while attack players have shorter sticks. The only difference between uniforms for Men´s and Women´s lacrosse is that for Women´s lacrosse usually players have to wear skirts with their tank top like jerseys while Men´s lacrosse players wear long shorts and a bigger, more baggy jersey. 

3.Field size and amount of players

The last main difference between Men´s and Women´s lacrosse is the field size and the amount of players on the field. A Men´s lacrosse field is slightly smaller than a Women´s lacrosse field. Women´s lacrosse fields are 120 yards long and 70 yards wide while Men´s lacrosse fields are 110 yards long and 60 yards wide. Along with this difference, Women´s lacrosse has two more players on the field than Men´s lacrosse has. Women´s lacrosse has twelve players on the field at one time and Men´s lacrosse has ten players on the field at the same time. 

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Top 5 Division 1 Women´s College Lacrosse Teams

Even though this years college lacrosse season had been cut short because of the Corona virus, each team was able to play between five and seven games. These five to seven games determined these rankings which could have been drastically different by the end of the season. 

1.North Carolina (Record 6-0)

North Carolina is one of the strongest Women´s college lacrosse programs ever. They are consistently in the top ten teams every single year even though they play in one of the toughest leagues, The ACC. 

2. Notre Dame (Record 6-0)

Notre Dame is another very strong program. Even though they haven´t gone very far in the national tournament the past couple years, they are always a very competitive team to play against. 

3.Loyola (Record 5-0)

Loyola is a team that is relatively new to the top of the women´s lacrosse standings. Even though they haven´t been that well known or seen as one of the top teams in the past, this year they were predicted to come out very strong and compete with the other more competitive teams. 

4.Stony Brook (Record 4-1)

Stony Brook is another team just like Loyola that has not been seen as one of the top teams in the past, but they have made an established name for themselves after making it far in the national tournament the last couple years. They accomplished some very big things by defeating some of the best teams in the country which caused people to respect them as a program more and more.

5. Syracuse (Record 7-1)

Just like North Carolina, Syracuse also plays in the very competitive ACC league. They have consistently been a very good program every single year and constantly make the national tournament. 

If you know anything about Women´s college lacrosse and what teams usually are in the top five you might be surprised by this list. A couple teams that would be on the list every single year, but had a rough start to the season causing them to be ranked a lot lower than usual are Maryland (Ranked 12, Record 3-3), Duke (Ranked 19, Record 5-3), and Boston College (Ranked 20, Record 3-3). 

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5 of the Most Important Rules of Women’s Lacrosse

1.The Restraining Line: The restraining line in women’s lacrosse is the 30 yard  mark on both sides of the field. If there are more than seven players from the attacking team, or more than eight players from the team defending, across this line moving towards the goal then the team is called offside and the other team is given the ball. 

2.The Goal Circle: Nobody on either team can be inside or touching the circle around the goal unless it is the goalie. A goal will not count if someone on the scoring team steps in or on the circle even if they are not the person who scored. 

3.Empty Checks:In girl’s lacrosse a player cannot check another player’s stick if it is not in contact with the ball. If this does occur, then the other team gains possession of the ball. 

4.Dangerous Propel:A dangerous propel occurs when a player is shooting. It is when a player shoots and while she is following through on her shot her stick is not in control and could potentially hurt someone. This could result in a yellow card on the player shooting which could make her team have to play with one less player for two minutes, which is similar to a power play in hockey. 

5.Charging:Around the goal there is a twelve meter fan and that is where charging can occur. Charging is when an offensive player pushes into a defensive player who already is in a set position. This could also result in a yellow card. 

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5 items needed to play Women’s Lacrosse

1. Lacrosse stick:A lacrosse stick is the first piece of equipment you absolutely need to play lacrosse. There are crucial differences between Men’s and Women’s lacrosse sticks so make sure when you buy one that you are buying the correct one.There are many different brands of sticks like STX, Brine, Nike, and Under Armour. Along with many different brands there are many colors and designs allowing you to be unique from other players if you would like. You can also buy sticks as a whole or you can customize them with different heads and shafts. They sell Women’s lacrosse sticks at almost any sporting goods store or online. 

2.Goggles: Lacrosse goggles are a very important piece of equipment. They protect your eyes from either getting hit by a ball or a players stick if one was to swing near your eyes. They, like sticks, also come in different colors and there are many different brands as well. 

3.Mouth guard: Mouth guards are another very important piece of protection in lacrosse. They protect your teeth from getting hit by a ball or a stick. This is crucial because you never know where a shot or a pass could go and could potentially hit you. These also come in different colors and typically the rule is you cannot have a white one because the referees need to know that you are wearing one. Most girls prefer mouth guards that are thinner because it is easier to breathe and talk during a game or practice. 

4.Cleats: Most girls who play lacrosse wear cleats when they play. You do not have to buy specific lacrosse cleats so some girls even wear soccer cleats which are very similar. You can buy any brand of cleats,but some popular ones are New Balance, Nike, or Under Armour.

5.A ball: A women’s lacrosse ball or two is very important for practicing. You can use them to shoot on a goal, if you own one or know of one you can use, or you can play wall ball anywhere with a flat wall to practice catching and throwing. These balls are fairly inexpensive and easy to find anywhere.