Middle school girls play a version of women's lacrosse that has been modified somewhat to encourage girls to develop good ball-handling skills as they are learning this fast-paced sport. Most middle school girls, especially seventh- and eighth-graders, follow Level A girls' rules, which most closely resemble the rules used in standard women's lacrosse.
Equipment
According to U.S. Lacrosse, middle schoolers playing Level A girls' youth lacrosse use standard women's lacrosse sticks and regulation yellow balls. They must wear mouth guards and protective eyewear. Soft headgear and gloves are optional. Only the team's goalies use additional equipment, including hard helmets with face masks, special goalie gloves, protectors for the throat, chest, abdomen and pelvis, and shin and thigh padding. The goal measures 6 feet wide by 6 feet high.
Field and Positions
In Level A girls' lacrosse, players compete on fields that are approximately 70 yards wide, with 100 yards separating the goals and another 10 yards behind each goal. Fields are further demarcated by regions such as the crease, the circular area around each goal. In addition to a goaltender, each team puts 11 players on the field. Three -- point, cover point and third man -- are primarily defenders. Three -- first home, second home and third home -- are primarily offensive players. The remaining five teammates play midfield: two attack wings, two defensive wings and a center.
Play
Play begins with a draw, with the two teams' centers placing their sticks against each other, back to back, with a ball between them. Whichever team gets control of the ball after the draw will try to advance the ball toward the goal by running with the ball and passing it from player to player. Players use only their sticks, not their hands or feet, to move the ball. Defenders try to keep the other team as far from the goal as possible. Level A rules permit defenders to do modified checking, meaning that they can try to tap a ball out of an opponent's stick as long as that stick is held below shoulder level and the check is directed downward and away from the offensive player's body.
Duration and Other Rules
Level A girls' lacrosse games have two 25-minute halves. The clock stops only after goals, except in the final two minutes of each half, when each referee whistle stops the clock. Referees blow their whistles for various minor and major fouls, from holding a stick atop a ground ball to executing a dangerous check. Whistles also blow when balls go out of bounds. Generally, when a foul is committed by one team, possession of the ball goes to the other team. As with most sports, the rules to Level A girls' lacrosse are complex and full of exceptions that officials, coaches and players must understand.
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