New Players And Parents Guide
Girls lacrosse is a unique sport with some unique rules. It is different than boys lacrosse. Someone who hasn't played girls lacrosse but wants to understand it will benefit from this guide. A high school game video is included below. Safety first! Many rules are designed for safety of the players. The major fouls are primarily safety rules and the minor fouls are technical rules. After reading through them you will spot them on the video!
Key Major Fouls
Key Minor Fouls
Safety & Equipment
Once someone has an understanding of these major and minor fouls it is easy to see how girls lacrosse has a much higher safety rate than other sports, including girls basketball and girls soccer. Field players wear eye protection goggles, use a mouth guard and may wear optional soft head gear. Goalies wear a full hard shell helmet with a throat protector, use a mouth guard, wear a chest protector similar to a softball catcher, padded gloves, upper leg pads and shin guards.
Game Overview & Positions
Girls lacrosse is a minimal contact game played by 12 players. There are four attackers, three midfielders, four defenders and a goal keeper. Each team must keep at least five players, including the goalie, in its defensive half of the field. The result is 7 v 7 play at each end for field players with the goalie the 8th defender, most often in her crease. This set number of offensive and defensive players resembles basketball at each end with picks and plays on offense countered by collapsing to help on the ball and double teams. During transition through the midfield astute soccer fans will notice the resemblance to that sport with redirects, switch of fields and cutting to the ball to help it get up the field.
Start Of The Game
Girls lacrosse begins with a Draw. The ball is placed between the sticks of two players at the center of the field and they are called the Centers for this purpose. The official blows the whistle to begin play. Each center tries to control the ball. The other 2 players on the draw circle can also run after the ball when the whistle sounds. All the other players must wait until one player has gained possession of the ball, or the ball has crossed into the offensive zone, before they can release and join the play. Draws take place at the start of each half and after a goal is scored.
Basic Skills
Field players use their lacrosse sticks to scoop, pass, catch and run with the ball (usually in the act of cradling) with either hand at the top half of the stick. If a defender plays a girl on her right side then the offensive player typically switches to her left hand to protect the stick, keep it away from the defender stick checks and then execute her skill. Only the goalkeeper may touch the ball with her hands and only while inside the crease. Additional skills with most of the same motion as the basic skills include dodging, shooting and stick faking, with a change of levels and release points crucial for good shooters. Dodging requires combining stick movement with footwork, change of speed and deception by the offensive player. Cutting to get open requires most of the same and the ability to catch the ball in traffic.
Key Major Fouls
- Defensive Shooting Space Foul: Defenders may not zone up in front of the goal without marking an opponent within a stick length.
- Defensive Three Seconds Foul: Defenders may not zone up inside the 8 meter scoring area and clog it up unsafely.
- Exceptions for both shooting space and 3 second fouls are when a defender is legally marking her offensive player within a stick length. Then the defender may be in front of the goal.
- In the situation where the defender is legally marking her player, the offensive player may not shoot and dangerously propel the ball toward these legal position players. This is a mandatory yellow card and a two minute non-releasable penalty.
- There is no body checking, although players may establish their space and hold it to box out or draw a charge similar to basketball. Pushing to establish space is a major foul.
- These are the key major fouls most likely missed from the stands. There are others like not stick checking into the head or body, not holding down on a stick during a check and not propelling a ball dangerously into an opponent anywhere on the field but they are easier to spot out in the open field.
- The penalty for one of these major fouls by a defender is a free position for the offensive player and if the foul occurred in the scoring area it can be a free position shot on goal, usually from the 8 meter arc. This is a penalty shot.
Key Minor Fouls
- May not check an empty stick but may check a stick with the ball in it or at least touching it. This is a tighter application of the rule than in boys lacrosse where the rules allow for players to stick check an empty stick.
- May not run through or follow through with their stick into the crease. Tighter application of the rule than in boys lacrosse where an offensive player may run through or step in the crease once the goal has been scored.
- Only the goalie (or one defender) may be in the crease. This is also different than boys lacrosse where multiple defenders may be in the crease helping defend it or picking up a loose ball.
Safety & Equipment
Once someone has an understanding of these major and minor fouls it is easy to see how girls lacrosse has a much higher safety rate than other sports, including girls basketball and girls soccer. Field players wear eye protection goggles, use a mouth guard and may wear optional soft head gear. Goalies wear a full hard shell helmet with a throat protector, use a mouth guard, wear a chest protector similar to a softball catcher, padded gloves, upper leg pads and shin guards.
Game Overview & Positions
Girls lacrosse is a minimal contact game played by 12 players. There are four attackers, three midfielders, four defenders and a goal keeper. Each team must keep at least five players, including the goalie, in its defensive half of the field. The result is 7 v 7 play at each end for field players with the goalie the 8th defender, most often in her crease. This set number of offensive and defensive players resembles basketball at each end with picks and plays on offense countered by collapsing to help on the ball and double teams. During transition through the midfield astute soccer fans will notice the resemblance to that sport with redirects, switch of fields and cutting to the ball to help it get up the field.
Start Of The Game
Girls lacrosse begins with a Draw. The ball is placed between the sticks of two players at the center of the field and they are called the Centers for this purpose. The official blows the whistle to begin play. Each center tries to control the ball. The other 2 players on the draw circle can also run after the ball when the whistle sounds. All the other players must wait until one player has gained possession of the ball, or the ball has crossed into the offensive zone, before they can release and join the play. Draws take place at the start of each half and after a goal is scored.
Basic Skills
Field players use their lacrosse sticks to scoop, pass, catch and run with the ball (usually in the act of cradling) with either hand at the top half of the stick. If a defender plays a girl on her right side then the offensive player typically switches to her left hand to protect the stick, keep it away from the defender stick checks and then execute her skill. Only the goalkeeper may touch the ball with her hands and only while inside the crease. Additional skills with most of the same motion as the basic skills include dodging, shooting and stick faking, with a change of levels and release points crucial for good shooters. Dodging requires combining stick movement with footwork, change of speed and deception by the offensive player. Cutting to get open requires most of the same and the ability to catch the ball in traffic.
High School Game Video
This video is from San Marcos FrSo & JV At Royal High School on March 5, 2020.
