Does it matter?鈥�

That has been Teagan Dunnett鈥檚 response when people question why she chooses to play box lacrosse on a boys鈥� team rather than with the girls.

Dunnett first began playing box lacrosse at age eight 鈥� following her best friend into the sport 鈥� and was immediately smitten with the sport.

鈥淚 just liked how physical it was, how fast it was,鈥� she explained. Prior to her introduction to the sport known as the 鈥渇astest game on two feet鈥�, Dunnett was involved in a pair of solo sports: karate and dance. 鈥淟acrosse was definitely different than those.鈥�

Two years ago, Dunnett approached the 91原创 Thunder about attending a tryout for the organization鈥檚 Junior Tier 1 team. The first question assistant general manager Ryan Williams 鈥� much like many others 鈥� had was why?

For Dunnett, it is all about the physicality, or more specifically, the lack of it in the girls鈥� game.

In girls鈥� box lacrosse in British Columbia, rules do not permit hitting. Instead, a 鈥榩lace and push鈥� rule has been adapted where defensive players may place their stick on the ball carrier and push them away.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 just go and blow somebody up,鈥� Dunnett explained, adding that she鈥檚 not sure where her taste for physicality came from. 鈥淚 guess that is just how I was wired.鈥�

With no desire to play girls鈥� box lacrosse, Dunnett played her entire minor box lacrosse in Mission on boys鈥� teams, only playing on female box at nationals, representing B.C. from 2016 to 2019.

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鈥淪he was just a player and she played really well,鈥� Williams recalled about seeing a player with obvious talent and passion for the game.

Williams purposely did not tell the coaching staff or the other players that was a female was among the practice participants that day (she had short hair at the time which made her fit in seamlessly).

鈥淭he only thing we were conscious of was that we had a female trying to play B in this league, which we haven鈥檛 had yet, and that she be was going to be put in the right situation so there wouldn鈥檛 be an opportunity for failure.鈥�

Fast-forward to earlier this season and Dunnett made her BC Junior Tier 1 Lacrosse League debut for the Thunder, becoming what is believed to be the first female lacrosse player to suit up in the league鈥檚 history.

And so far, Dunnett has made an instant impact: scoring the tying goal and then setting up the winner on May 10 and then setting up the winning goal the next night as 91原创 won their first two games of the season.

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鈥淥ffensively, she is smart, she goes to the net, she runs a good two-person game, she gets underneath and goes to the dirty areas. She got hammered reaching for a loose ball but got right back up,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淲e went from getting her into the line-up that first game to the second game where guys were saying 鈥榮he should be on the crease on the power play.鈥欌��

For her part, Dunnett was happy to be playing the sport she loves and to be able to make an immediate impact. She also credits the challenge of playing against males growing up in developing her stick skills, which in turn helped land her a spot on the women鈥檚 field lacrosse team at North Carolina鈥檚 University of Mount Olive, where she just completed her freshman season.