Princeton and foes must adjust to new rules

Restraining line. Crease. Box. 2-3-1. 1-4-1. Clear. Ride. Slides. Pole. Crosscheck. Faceoff. Wings.

Know what any of those mean? Ask a lacrosse player.

Indeed, lacrosse is simultaneously a simple and complicated sport; some of the rules are a bit hard to grasp, while others are not. Modern lacrosse is a relatively new sport, so the rules are continually in flux.

This season, there are three major rule changes that will affect college lacrosse and that the Tigers will have to adjust to in some degree or another.

The first rule change will affect how long a team may take to get the ball from its defensive zone to its offensive end of the field.

Known as a "clear," this occurs whenever the defense gets possession of the ball from the offense — either on a turnover or a save by the goalie. Previously, when the defense got the ball, it had 10 seconds to clear the ball from its defensive zone, called the "box," an area about a quarter of the size of the field and located at both ends. Previously, once the defense carried the ball out of the box, it could not step back into that area.

The new rule states that instead of having 10 seconds to move the ball out of the box, a team must move the ball across midfield within 20 seconds. The defense may also reenter the box at will.

The reasoning behind the rule change is that with the old rule in effect, a team could stall in the area between both boxes, the middle part of the field when they need to kill time. Now, the team will be forced to move to its offensive quarter within 20 seconds.

It remains to be seen what effect this rule change will have on a team's clearing attempts. Offensive players who have lost the ball typically "ride" the other team, obstructing its attempt to advance the ball upfield.

"[The rule change] will affect how teams ride," senior attack Jason Doneger said. "I think teams will be a little more aggressive in riding. Twenty seconds, while it seems like a lot, is really not that much to get the ball over the midfield line."

Doneger added that schools have been practicing with the new rule since the fall, so most players should be fairly familiar with it already.

Controversial call

A second rule change involves the calling of timeouts. To call one, a team must now have the ball in its offensive zone as opposed to simply having possession of the ball. This rule will definitely affect the transition game of many teams, particularly those strong at riding.

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Up until this season, a team riding the clear often forced its opponents to call a timeout to regroup and replan. Now, between the 20-second clear rule and this new timeout rule, teams with weak clears will be hurt, and teams with strong rides will gain even more of an advantage.

This rule change is the most controversial of the three, as coaches like to be able to call a timeout any time they have possession. Men's lacrosse head coach Bill Tierney called the timeout rule "a mistake."

"I'm hoping it doesn't cost somebody seriously," he said. "[But] it's going to cost somebody a game."

Tierney pointed out that even though players in lacrosse are allowed to call timeouts, a team is only permitted two per half, so coaches usually reserve that right for themselves. As a result, if a team is attacking the goal at the end of the field opposite its bench and the coach wants to call a timeout, it might be difficult for the referee to hear the call — particularly at places such as Class of 1952 Stadium where it is difficult to hear down on the field.

"Now what's going to happen is if a team is tied or down a goal and the ball has to be in that far end and a guy picks it up, [he might not be able to] get the call, and if he doesn't get it, it could cost him the game," Tierney said.

"You hope that you win the coin toss at the beginning of the game, which for 30 years has been almost meaningless, because now you've got to make sure your offense is in front of your bench for the fourth quarter [so the referees can hear you]," Tierney said.

The final rule change affects face-offs. Instead of allowing the two players' sticks to be up to, but not touching, the ball, the rule is now that the sticks must be four inches apart.

"It gives the referees a chance to really get a gauge on who might be jumping the gun," Tierney said. "Hopefully it'll clean [face-offs] up a little bit."

The rule, it has been speculated, will probably hurt players who rely on strength in face-offs and instead give the upper hand to those who face off with more skill and finesse.

Lacrosse is a complicated game, as is evident from these rule changes. It remains to be seen how they will affect the game and whether or not they will remain in place next season.