WORKING AS ONE | The June 1st lacrosse game was the first time Piper Marshall played on a co-ed team and she enjoyed the experience. “I think it was really fun and it was really interesting to see the boys' skills mixed with our skills to see what we can do together as a team,” Marshall said. “It built a lot of teamwork between the two teams and we were able to use different techniques from both rules combined together.”
NO DRAWBACKS | One of the main differences between girls and boys lacrosse are the rules and the terminology used to describe gameplay. Junior Ava DeCoste explains the difference between the boys’ faceoff and girls’ draw. “The faceoff is different,” DeCoste said. “Where [the girls] stand up and [the boys] are sitting down on the ground and fighting for the ball. [The girls] stand up and throw the ball above our heads.”
STICKING WITH IT | Even after each team’s respective season ended, sophomore Piper Marshall still noticed some of the same drive and determination from previous games. “I feel like it was less competitive [than a league game], but I think we still had a lot of momentum and competitiveness between the two teams,” Marshall said.
DETERMINED DEFENSE | Boys’ lacrosse has a reputation for its fierce defense and aggressive offense and junior Ethan Bailey is used to this rough style of play. “I play something called crease defense,” Bailey said. “I stand near or in front of the goal and I am the first line before the goalie. I’m used to hitting people and smacking with my stick and if you watch me play, it’s all I do.”
IN THEIR BLOOD | For some, this co-ed game was the first time playing with the opposite sex, but junior Ava Smarch typically practices with her brother freshman John Smarch. “I like playing with him,” Ava Smarch said. “It’s nice to have someone that I can practice with outside of school. On weekends or in the summer we can come to North and shoot around for a little bit.”
COMBINING THE CAGES | The combining of teams called for a change in rules, mostly for the boys. For junior Ethan Bailey, this modified game proved to include a lot of variation. “It's basically a different sport, [girls lacrosse],” Bailey said. “There is zero contact involved, a lot of the rules with the sticks are different, and just the way it flows is a lot less organized than the guys’ sport.”
ON THE ATTACK | During overtime, the co-ed game was won by just one point. Junior Massimo Todesco with the help of his teammates, scored the game winning goal. “Edison Jarvi had the ball on the left hash and then he passed it over to me,” Todesco said. “I shot it over a couple of defenders and it bounced right over whoever was in the net.”
Credits:
Gabe Goode