Basics

• Boys lacrosse is a game played between two teams of ten players. Each team tries to outscore the other team by shooting the ball into the goal of the opposing team. Whichever team scores the most goals wins.
• There are 10 players on each team. Four of the players must stay on the defensive half of the field, three must stay on the offensive half, and three can go anywhere on the field.
• The game is divided up into two halves and 4 quarters with each quarter being 12 minutes long. College lacrosse games are longer and kids’ games are shorter.
• The game begins with a face-off between two players at mid-field. The ball sits on the ground between the two players and the referee blows the whistle.  This signals the opposing players to go after the ball. A face-off will also occur after each goal and at the start of each quarter.
• During gameplay, players can either pass or run with the ball in the pocket of their lacrosse stick. Only the goalie can touch the ball with their hands. All other players must use the lacrosse stick to carry, pass, shoot, or catch the ball.
• When an opponent has the ball or is within five yards of the ball, a player can body check them. A body check is contact from the front between the waist and the shoulders. You can also stick check the player on the stick or gloves to try and knock the ball away or to keep a player from getting the ball.
• When a player with the ball or the ball goes out of the field of play, the opposing team gets the ball unless the ball goes out of bounds after a shot. In that case, the team with the player closest to the ball when it went out of bounds gets the ball

New: Rule changes for 2020 include officials “will no longer wait for defensive players to position themselves more than 5 yards from the player in possession of the ball when restarting play.” Also, illegal crosses will not be tiered penalties, all will result in a two-minute, non-releasable penalty. 

 

The Field

• The field is divided into 2 halves by a midfield line and each team defends a goal.
• The standard lacrosse field for high school and college field is 110 yards long and can be from 53 1/3 to 60 yards wide. The goals are 80 yards apart with a playing area of 15 yards behind each goal. The length of the field is divided in half by a center/mid-field line. The field is shorter for youth lacrosse.
• There is an area around each goal is called a crease. An opponent is not allowed to enter the crease, but they can reach in with their stick to pick up the ball.
   

Positions

• Each team plays 10 players at a time consisting of 3 attack, 3 midfielders, 3 defense, and 1 goalie.  Typically, the attack stays on the offensive half and attacks the opposing team’s goal, while the defense stays on the defensive half and defends their goal.  Midfielders can go anywhere on the field.
• Players are allowed to exchange across the mid-field line, so long as four players remain on the defensive half of the field and three stay on the offensive half at all times.

Fouls

• Some plays that are not allowed in lacrosse are called fouls. If a player commits a foul, they will get go to the penalty box for a time period ranging from 30 seconds to 3 minutes. Like hockey, the team with a player in the penalty box will have to play man-down during the penalty.   
• Lacrosse personal fouls include tripping, unnecessary roughness, cross checking (making contact with another player with the stick between your hands), slashing (a stick check not on the opponents gloves or stick), or illegal body checking. 
• Some lacrosse technical fouls include holding, off-sides (not the right number of players on each half of the field), setting moving picks, stalling, and pushing.