It’s no surprise that lacrosse in Maryland and in Severna Park is held in such high regard, 13 state championships for the boys and 16 state championships for the girls are just highlights of remarkable seasons and the hard work and dedication that goes into the sport. In the eyes of many, Maryland is the lacrosse Mecca and continues to send high school and club lacrosse players off to the collegiate level to continue their lacrosse careers. But what about lacrosse life after a player’s college years? Well just like most other sports, there are professional leagues so that athletes can continue to take their career to the next level. But this was once a very foggy topic for women in lacrosse. That’s until the Women’s Lacrosse League or the WLL for short.
Female athletes and female athletics have continued to gain increasing support in the world of sports. The long overdue balancing of inequities and finding a way to uplift women in an athletic setting have made promising leaps in recent news, and an exciting step is the creation of the WLL.
The WLL was produced by the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) which is a men’s lacrosse league that had its inaugural season in June of 2019. The PLL directly competed with Major League Lacrosse (MLL), causing a league merger in 2020 when the PLL absorbed the MLL. The PLL continued without female representation until it was introduced in November of 2024 that the Women’s Lacrosse League would make its debut in February of 2025. Since then the four inaugural teams for the WLL are the Boston Guard, New York Charging, California Palms, and Maryland Charm.
This league is more than just a push forward for lacrosse, but better yet for women’s sports. The WLL is a symbol of growth for women in competitive spaces and a sign of encouragement for girls to continue to work hard to make their athletic dreams come true.
At Severna Park High School, girls lacrosse is known as a dominant force throughout the county and the state, and is a prime example of the competitiveness and fun that is produced by women’s lacrosse.
Sophomore and varsity lacrosse goalie Lucy Davis said, “The creation of the WLL is about more than just lacrosse—it is about shifting the perception of female athletics as a whole. By increasing visibility and generating excitement around women’s sports, the WLL is helping to break down long-standing biases.”
Davis’s point of view has been shaped in part by her experience on the varsity lacrosse team, beginning as a freshman on varsity last season. The value in women’s lacrosse is most definitely felt by all of the girls on the team and seeing their sport break barriers is a fantastic feeling.
When speaking about the team atmosphere, Davis said, “Severna Park lacrosse constantly reminds me why I love this sport so much. As I start looking into colleges to continue playing lacrosse, one of my biggest priorities is finding a team with the same kind of supportive culture and coaching staff that I have been so lucky to experience here.”
The sport of lacrosse continues to grow across the U.S. at a rapidly increasing rate, and the positivity from the growth of not only the sport but the women in the sport as well, is beyond refreshing and will continue to expand the way lacrosse is viewed and played. The Women’s Lacrosse League has proven to be a thrilling way to impact the lacrosse community and inspire female athletes along the way. That impact will continue to spread and has already boosted women lacrosse athletes at Severna Park.
Davis sums up the opinions of the lacrosse population perfectly, Davis said “Severna Park lacrosse is more than just a team—it’s my home.”
