The ball flies through the air. The players keep their eyes on it as they run across the field. One of them catches the ball in her net and heads for the goal. “There’s a defender next to you, watch out!” a teammate calls out. She dodges, once, twice, almost goes down, and she scores! “Great job, Madison!” yells the coach.
Fifteen minutes in, it’s time for a cooling break. Madison Soubelet (18) from France, a first-year student at University College Maastricht, is one of the newcomers to the team. “I was introduced to the sport on a school exchange to the US. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to continue playing. After arriving here, I immediately started looking for a lacrosse team, and here I am”, she laughs. She’s happy with her decision. “The team spirit is incredible. At first, I was embarrassed to make mistakes; this is my first time playing a team sport. But I quickly realised that no one gets angry or aggressive. It was different in the US.”
Two versions
The break is over. Most of the players are back on the field, but Noa Kaesler (25), one of the coaches, remains on the sidelines. She’s coaching today’s ‘no-contact group’ training session. Why is it called that? “Well, there are two ways to play lacrosse. They’re technically known as women’s lacrosse and men’s lacrosse, but Maastricht stopped calling them that a long time ago. The sport is for everyone”, she explains. So, how does it work? “Well, there’s a version where you use your body to defend or attack, which we call the ‘full-contact group’.” They play by the rules of men’s lacrosse, with helmets and protective gear. The no-contact group plays by the rules of women’s lacrosse, in regular sports clothing. “This is a very tactical version, as you have to position yourself between the ball and the player. There are people who play both versions because they enjoy the variety.”
Kaesler got into the sport by chance. “I lived in a lacrosse house. My housemates played it, and their teammates came over a lot. I went along with them one time and I just loved it. Try it once and you’re sold.” Kaesler also made friends on the team, “real friends”. The members do a lot together, from cycling dinners to drinks, member weekends and tournaments. “We often sit around chatting after training sessions. It’s important to have fun, after all. You should talk to Mattia; he has years of experience on the team.”
“It never gets boring”
The training session is over. Mattia Cristofoletto (24), an Italian master’s student of Globalisation and Law, is sweaty and tired. “I was never really interested in playing sports, but lacrosse is different. I discovered it when I was eighteen and immediately liked the combination of rugby, football and field hockey. It’s like playing all of them at once, so it never gets boring.” Even after six years on the lacrosse field, he’s still learning. “I’m still working on shooting at goal and getting better at tackling.” Not least because the Maastricht team competes not only against other universities, but also against regular teams. “We’ve been playing in the Belgian league for the past few years, and there’s some real competition there. We have to keep improving. But in the end, the most important thing is that we are here together and having fun. Playing sports makes you happy.”