A
sport played in many nations, but not quite enough to earn
Olympic status. The lineup at the 2001
Women's Lacrosse World Cup includes
Argentina,
Australia,
Canada, the
Czech Republic,
England,
Germany,
Japan,
Scotland, the
USA and
Wales.
A large difference between women's lacrosse and men's lacrosse is the lack of pads in the women's game. Male lacrosse players wear helmets, shoulder pads and heavily padded gloves. The only protective equipment female lacrosse players wear is a mouthguard (other than the goaltender, who's helmeted- and padded-up.)
Because they're not wearing pads, women's lacrosse outlaws body checking. In men's lacrosse, you can smack your opponent with your stick about as often as you want; not so in the women's game. Moreover, it is a foul to put your stick in a dangerous position, or to shoot dangerously.
The other major difference is the offsides rule. Women's college lacrosse in the U.S. only recently (late '90s) added a restraining line at midfield, with the rule that only seven offensive players and eight defensive players (seven + goalie) can be on the same side of the field as the ball. Men's lacrosse, on the other hand, has two such restraining lines, and they're a bit stricter over who can cross it.
Basically, men's lacrosse is more one-on-one, more physical and quicker transition play. Women's lacrosse is more oriented towards teamwork on offense and has longer offensive sets.
Greatest player I've ever seen is two-time NCAA Player of the Year Kelly Amonte, University of Maryland '96. She's the sister of NHL ice hockey player Tony Amonte.