Behind the lines

Restraining line boding well for lady laxers

The addition of a new rule in NCAA women's lacrosse this season has changed the face of the game.

A restraining line has been set at each team's 30-yard line. This line limits the number of players who can be in the offensive zone -- seven offensive players against seven defensive players and a goalkeeper.

If the Lady Lions' first four games are any indication, then the rule appears to be making an impact. Overall scoring in the team's games is on the rise as players found the goal 85 times in the Lions' first four games, compared to 75 in the first four games last season.

"I think it's definitely beneficial for the attack," Penn State attacker Jen Johnson said. "With only seven back there is gives us room to run."

The new rule forced players to make an adjustment this season. Johnson said at first everyone had cold feet about the restraining line, but eventually players got used to it.

To take advantage of the new rule, most teams have had to develop an offensive transition game to get the ball down the field faster. In order to prevent seven-on-seven situations, Lion junior defender Jordan Brodsky said her team has been working on trying to "cut out the middleman" by passing from defenders to attackers, skipping the midfielders.

"We've got players like J.J. (Jen Johnson) and Em (Emily Mechem), so it increases our chances on the fast break," Brodsky said.

At first, it appeared as if Penn State's transition game could be a problem. After the team's 16-9 opening win over Richmond on March 4, Lion coach Julie Williams expressed concern that the team's transition game wasn't coming around as expected.

However, with the help of Mechem's return to the lineup last week, Penn State's transition game has started to pick up. Senior attacker Cheryl Videon said it was a matter of different players getting used to each other.

"I think we've just learned how to work well with each other over the past couple of weeks," Videon said. "We know where we are without even looking. I think it just took time."

Williams said defensive players have had the hardest time adjusting to the new rule. While the restraining line has visions of hat tricks dancing in offensive players' heads, it is causing many defenders to lose sleep. Coaches have had to rethink defensive philosophies in light of five fewer players around the goal.

Williams is stressing communication among defenders. Videon said Williams, who was a defender during her playing days at Virginia, has done a good job of helping her players adjust.

Also helping Penn State defenders in their transition to the new rule has been their experience. Most of the Lions' returning defenders are upperclassmen, meaning that they've had a lot of time to get used to each other.

"I think the best part of our defense is how they work together," Videon said. "They're like a separate unit down there."

Videon said, overall, adjusting to the new rule hasn't been too bad. She said the team got a lot of experience with it in team scrimmages last fall and early in the spring. In addition, she said all the other teams are getting used to it as well.

"I think everybody is in the same boat as we are because this is the first year of it for everybody," Videon said.

Williams said the rule has definitely changed the game. However, she said she won't be sure if she likes it or not until the end of the season.

"I don't know if it's been good or bad," Williams said. "It just is."