WATERVILLE — Seven-on-seven field hockey is here because, well, there’s only so much space for so much of the sport to be played in a limited time.

Make no mistake, though, field hockey players and coaches can still learn plenty when they have to go with fewer players. That’s what they did Friday when one of the fields was reduced to 7-on-7 play at the Victories over Violence tournament at Thomas College.

“I love 7-on-7s,” said Gardiner head coach Jess Merrill. “It’s small field hockey that really teaches you to use your skills. You have to be good at passing and be consistently moving around the field. I think it’s great, and I love it when we get a chance to do it.”

Indeed, the two 7-on-7 games being played on Thomas’ Smith Field throughout the five-hour tournament drew some good reviews. The games provided players a chance to hone a variety of skills while going back-and-forth between seven- and 11-a-side play.

The 7-on-7 game, naturally, is much smaller than its 11-player counterpart. Sure, there are fewer players on the field, but the fields are also smaller, modified to 60 yards in width and 45 yards in length when played as two vertical fields within a larger horizontal field as was done Friday at Thomas.

The most important difference in play? Passing, crucial in any field hockey contest, becomes even more so in 7-on-7. Scoring opportunities can be tougher to create in the smaller game, meaning that there’s added pressure on players to make the perfect pass to put a teammate in on goal.

“It’s such a smaller game, so if you’re able to make a good pass, it can really help you when you get onto the big field once you nail that down,” said Messalonskee’s Chloe Michaud. “It brings out some of your strengths but also brings out some of your flaws to show you what you need to work on.”

Skowhegan’s Sydalia Savage (1) breaks free from Mt. Blue’s Lily Huntley during the Victories over Violence field hockey tournament Friday at Thomas College in Waterville. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

Hannah Phair, one of Michaud’s Messalonskee teammates, said that 7-on-7 play forces players to take on more responsibilities. Players have to cover more of the field, meaning more running takes place than in the 11-player game. Offensive players, she added, have to backtrack more to play defense.

Still, the 7-on-7 game finds a way to keep players in close proximity while they cover that added ground. It’s not too soon after a player gets the ball, Skowhegan’s Sydalia Savage said, that an opponent is right there to challenge them — a physicality level that complements the intricate game.

“It’s a lot more closed-quarters; you get the ball, and someone’s right on top of you,” Savage said. “It’s a little bit more mental. We know how to play 11-v-11 a lot more solidly, but with 7-v-7, we’re challenged a little bit more. We have a different setup, so it’s a different kind of game and a different dynamic.”

Many teams play 7-on-7 in the summer with some, such as Lawrence, even participating in exclusively 7-on-7 leagues. Messalonskee head coach Katie Brann noted that players appreciate getting more time on the ball with few players on the field, and the smaller game, Merrill said, could have a literal application later on.

“We play 7-on-7s in overtime, so it’s great practice for that because you have to be ready in case you get into that situation in a game,” Merrill said. “We probably need to play more 7-on-7s, so a day like this, this is great practice and experience for us and something that we can build on.”

Friday’s day of play at Thomas marked the fourth year that the tournament, an annual fundraiser put on by Skowhegan, has been organized as Victories for Violence. It had previously been held as the Battle for Breast Cancer from 2011-20.

Members of all 13 teams raised money for the Family Violence Project throughout the summer. Players and coaches also took part in an informational session earlier Friday with this year’s educational piece focusing on psychological violence, something Skowhegan’s Ellie Quinn took to heart.

“There are a lot of parts to domestic violence that aren’t as obvious as you might think,” Quinn said. “When you think of domestic violence, a lot of what you think of is physical violence, but there are emotional and psychological parts as well, and it was important to learn some of those signs.”