Video: Everything you need to know about how lacrosse is played for boys and girls

Lacrosse has been played in Minnesota for centuries, with Native tribes using the sport for spiritual purposes. Then, in the 1990s, a few high schools added club teams. The sport continued to grow and, in 2002, girls lacrosse was sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League, with the boys being sanctioned in 2007.

Today, thousands of students play the game at roughly 250 high schools in the state.

While boys and girls lacrosse share the same name, the games are played quite differently, from gear — girls wear only goggles, while the boys wear helmets, gloves, elbow pads and chest pads — to physical contact.

“It’s illegal for us to swing the sticks, whereas the boys, they can kind of whack each other. So that’s kind of why I’d say they have more padding,” said Kathryn Ewers, a senior Edina girls lacrosse player.

The boys are allowed to deliver body checks and stick checks, while the girls are allowed only limited contact, creating a more possession-focused game.

Watch the video below for a breakdown of what separates the two sports, including penalties, stick pocket depth and faceoffs.