The girls and boys lacrosse team is scheduled to play Melbourne High School on Thursday  at home. In past seasons, the girls and boys have played on fields that had the same width, but this season the governing lacrosse body, US Lacrosse, has released an optional unified field that will be used at most high schools across the state. The new field dimensions bring the girls’ crease or goal area forward along with the end-line at the back of the field so that it is even with the boys’. This provides more area behind the goal to maneuver attacking players while making it easier for players to identify the out-of-bounds line. In addition, the arc associated with the girls’ field will be aligned on the boys’ field, providing a tool for the boys. The change brings some advantages. 

“Last year we never knew what line was out of bounds so we would usually stop playing before the ball went out or we would keep playing after the ball went out,” sophomore Chris Johnson said. “Now it will be a single line we can always identify. Also, the new arc will give us a good idea of our positioning on the field.”

The field for the girls will be shortened by 10 yards, while the boys’ field will be extended by 10 yards.

“I think the team is in pretty good condition, so the new shortened field with be much better running-wise,” sophomore Mallory Chauvin said. “The actual attacking and defensive area won’t affect us too much, but we will probably see the result of the change towards the end of the season when we are able to hold possession longer, so we aren’t running as much and as far. But the same is true for other teams, and they also don’t have to work as hard.”

The new field has been introduced as an optional change for all teams while most schools have decided to adopted it to help with future endeavors in the sport. It will also give US Lacrosse a chance to see the field in actions and its effects on players.

By Kyle Johnson