The UTSA men’s lacrosse club was founded in 2002. The club plays field lacrosse, which differs from lacrosse sixes.
The modern rules of men’s lacrosse were created by Canadian William George Beers in 1867. Men’s field lacrosse and women’s lacrosse have different rules. Men’s field lacrosse is a fast-paced and full-contact sport, while women’s field lacrosse is more focused on making shots. Men also wear full helmets with a cage, gloves, elbow pads and shoulder pads. Women only have to wear goggles and gloves are optional. Men’s sticks have deeper pockets to carry the ball, and the head of the stick is wider than in women’s lacrosse.
Men’s field lacrosse has 10 players on the field: one goalie, three defenders, three midfielders and three attackers. The defenders have longer poles, called d-poles or long poles, to help with defending and knocking the ball out of the other players’ poles.
Field lacrosse is split into four 15-minute long quarters; after each quarter, the teams switch sides. The field is about 110 yards, a little smaller than a soccer pitch which is around 120 yards.
“[Lacrosse] is everything, I would be a completely different person if I never played lacrosse,” close defender Joaquin Forero said. “I found the sport and the sport has embraced me while playing it.”
The club has 10 new players this year, bringing the team total to 16 players. They practice every Tuesday and Thursday from 7:45-9:45 p.m.
The club is open to anybody who would like to join; no prior experience is needed. For new players, the club has extra gear and will teach them everything they need to know. While the club does compete, it is not all about winning for them; building a team bond between each player is a huge part.
“I think [lacrosse] is one of the best sports in the world,” president and midfielder Luke Wardlow said. “I just think it really is one of the most fun sports to me and just the culture here, just having a bunch of guys. It’s just a great way not only to meet new people but just be in a great group of guys and just have a ton of fun doing it.”
The club’s season starts in the spring but they do have a scrimmage against Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi on Oct. 19 at the UTSA Recreation Fields. To keep up to date about games and other events follow the men’s lacrosse Instagram.
