One of the new rules in women's lacrosse this season has a team playing man-down for three minutes after it receives a total of four yellow cards for dangerous play.

But that rule has gotten few good reviews from local high school coaches. It has been called everything from "asinine" to "ridiculous," because there's very little penalty involved.

The missing player can come from anywhere on the field, which leaves both teams at full strength inside the restraining line. The man-up team has one extra player back on defense, so the only true advantage to be gained is in transition.

The state public schools girls lacrosse committee yesterday, however, developed a proposal that would increase the penalty by having teams playing man-down after two yellow cards.

"I wouldn't mind seeing it after two cards," said Winters Mill coach Courtney Vaughn, a member of the committee. "At that point you need to clean up what you're doing wrong. Even as a team, you might get one or two [errant] checks or a little body contact, but after that, you need to clean it up and you need to play down. Four yellow cards in a game and something's not right."

The bottom line is safety and trying to clean up aggressive, and often, dangerous checking.

Sue Diffenderffer, a longtime official and the interpreter of rules for the state public school leagues, said the new four-card rule originated at the college level.

"I think it was progressive thinking," said Diffenderffer. "First, we had yellow cards. Then, we had to have mandatory yellow cards, because the yellow card was originally for a check to the head and some officials weren't calling it.

"The last couple of years if a team has three or four yellow cards, they should be going to the red card (automatic ejection of a player on a second yellow card or for a single flagrant foul) because the team is out of control. Then, that wasn't happening and it got to the point where we were hearing stories about kids high-fiving when they were coming off for a yellow card. That's when we went to this you play short after your fourth team foul."

Some coaches don't think the penalty is enough. While they don't want to go the way of the boys game and make the girls play man-down inside the restraining line, some said it might be the only thing to reduce aggressive checking.

Poly coach Josh Headley, also a committee member, said, "There's no penalty otherwise. Aside from it not having an impact ... we're developing a culture of get away with whatever you can."

Vaughn said, "I think [playing man-down inside the restraining line] would change it a lot. I don't know that I would want to see that, because it's too much like the guys, but it would make a huge impact."

Diffenderffer said she doesn't see it getting that far.

"I don't see that happening because, I think it's just a matter of getting control and if the kids think we're serious about it.

"I disagree that [the current rule] doesn't have an effect if only psychological and in transition, it forces the kids to think differently in how they're going to do something. Does it have an immediate effect like the boys' man-down? No, but I don't think that was ever the intent."

Some coaches believe the current rule is enough.

Glenelg coach Ginger Kincaid, another committee member, said she has not played a game this season in which either team has received four yellow cards. While Kincaid is not averse to changing the rule to two cards, she does not want to see teams playing man-down within the restraining line.

"I would really hate to see them take a defender off that end," said Kincaid. "I think you go to that and people are really going to start sliding. You'd have to pack it in, but we're trying to keep people out of shooting space and keep the game safer. Kids are shooting from farther out now and they're taking good shots, but we don't want to see the defense packed in there."

If the rule is eventually changed to two yellow cards, it won't be soon.

Diffenderffer said the proposal will go the state public schools rules committee and then would have to pass the National Federation of State High School Associations and the US Lacrosse rules committees before it could be adopted.