A field hockey player had her teeth knocked out and suffered other severe facial injuries after being hit in the face by a shot from a male player.
The play happened in a high school playoff match Thursday in Massachusetts between Dighton-Rehoboth Regional and Swampscott.
The male player, who attends Swampscott, fired a shot on goal that struck his opponent directly in the face. Players were very shaken as the girl, who has not been identified in reports, began screaming in pain.
Dighton Rehoboth’s Superintendent Bill Runey told Boston’s WCVB that the girl “sustained significant facial and dental injuries.”
It's reported that male player (#2 for Swampscott) knocked the teeth out of female player. Males are allowed to play on female teams in MA because of the "equal play act"
This is the town where NCAA president and past gov, Charlie baker lives. Care to comment, @CharlieBakerMA ? pic.twitter.com/ahyGrzA2Ox
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) November 3, 2023
While the injury was not intentional, many in the community felt it never should have happened. Massachusetts has allowed boys to play on girls teams since the 1970s, under Title IX, in cases where there are not separate teams for both.
Kelsey Bain, a captain on the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional team, posted a letter on X (formerly Twitter) Sunday. Addressed to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, the letter called for athletic officials to create a boys-only field hockey league, given their “significant” athletic advantage.
“I understand that the MIAA is adhering to the Massachusetts Equal Rights Amendment, but continuously using the law as a scapegoat for criticism and issues regarding this topic is unacceptable,” Bain wrote.
This is a letter I sent to the MIAA in response to the recent Swampscott vs. Dighton-Rehoboth field hockey incident.@FoxNews @Riley_Gaines_ @MIAA033 @MAGovArchive @grossmanhannah @Nicoletta0602@DRHighSchool pic.twitter.com/WuvjxY5Vnq
— Kelsey Bain (@KelseyBain13) November 5, 2023
According to Bain, 41 boys played field hockey in Massachusetts this year and there would likely be more interest, if not for the “stigma” associated with playing with girls.
