Lacrosse Scoring Guide

Lacrosse is played by using long-handled lacrosse sticks in which players use to throw a ball into the opposing team’s goal, and this lacrosse scoring guide will explain how a score is made and what penalties may be involved when there are infractions of the rules. Two teams of ten, consisting of three defenders, three attackers, three midfielders, and a goalie, play for four fifteen-minute quarters. The team with the highest score at the end wins.

1. Scoring Points. In order to make a goal and score a point, the thrown ball has to completely cross the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar. Goals are not scored if the whistle has already been blown, the period is over, or if the attacking team is offside. It also doesn’t score if there are more than ten players on the attacking team or if the attacker is inside the goal crease or if he has crossed the goal crease after taking his shot. If there is a tie at the end of the game there will be a four-minute sudden death period. If there is still a tie, a two-minute rest period will be taken and there will be another four-minute sudden death period.
2. Penalties. There are two types of fouls that can draw a penalty: personal and technical. The player charged with a personal foul may receive a one to three minute suspension, and his team can continue to play short-handed while the player is in the penalty box. The team that is fouled gets a free play. Five personal fouls and the player is out of the game. Technical fouls receive either a 30-second suspension or a free play if the team that has the ball commits the foul.
3. Personal Fouls. Personal fouls include illegal body checking, which is body checking an opponent who doesn’t have the ball or has already passed or shot the ball. It is also a personal foul to body check an opponent from the rear, below the waist or above the shoulders. It is only legal to body check below the shoulders and above the waist while the player still remains in contact with his lacrosse stick. Some other fouls are slashing where the lacrosse stick hits an opponent viciously in an area other than the stick or gloved hand; tripping, where an opponent is obstructed at or below the waist with the lacrosse stick, or on the hands, arms, feet or legs; or, cross-checking where the player uses the handle of the lacrosse stick between his hands to cause a contact with his opponent. Unnecessary roughness, such as excessive or violent force, and unsportsmanlike conduct, like arguing, taunting or using obscene gestures or language are also considered personal fouls.
4. Technical Fouls. Some examples of technical fouls include: holding, which is impeding an opponent from moving his body or his lacrosse stick; interference constitutes interfering with the movement of an opponent who doesn’t have possession of the ball unless the ball is in flight or both players are within five yards from a loose ball; pushing, which consists of shoving or thrusting a player from the back; offsides, when there aren’t the correct amount of players on the defensive or offensive side of the midfield line; screening, when the offensive player blocks the defensive player from defending the person he is supposed to be defending; stalling, when the team holds the ball without playing it with the intent of taking time off the clock; warding off, when the player with the ball uses his arm or hand in an effort to push or check his opponent’s lacrosse stick check; hand ball, where the player puts his hands on the ball (only the goalie is allowed to touch the ball); kicking or holding the ball using the foot; or, moving into the goal crease.