Different Women Lacrosse Rules And Regulations

Women lacrosse rules are very similar with men’s lacrosse rules. However, women lacrosse is non-contact compared to men’s lacrosse. Women lacrosse rules allow twelve players in the game, they are composed of six defenders, five attackers and a goalkeeper. The main objective of the game is to score by shooting the ball into the goal and the team with the most points wins the game.

Women lacrosse rules also depend on the level of the game. For collegiate women lacrosse, the game lasts for 60 minutes with two 30-minute halves. For high school girls, the game is 50 minutes long with two 25-minute halves. Both levels have two timeouts per game, this includes overtime.

The game starts with a draw that takes place at the field’s center. The ball is place in between the lacrosse sticks of the two players and at the sound of the referee’s whistle the two players will battle for possession of the ball.

There are marks on the ground that serve as indicators of the boundaries of the playing field. The dimensions of the playing field are 120 yards by 70 yards. Additional marks on the field like a restraining line is located 30 yards from the goal and this line only allows seven offensive players and eight defensive players that include the goalkeeper. Officials also use a 12-meter fan for positioning a player who was given a foul. In each goal, an arc is placed in front and this is considered an important scoring area where defenders should stay minimum distance within a lacrosse stick from the attacker.

Women lacrosse rules dictate that when they hear the whistle blown, every player must halt in their respective places. Loss of ball possession occurs if the player accidentally or deliberately throws the ball out of bounds. When the ball gets out of bounds, the player nearest to the ball will be awarded possession.

Women lacrosse rules allow players to “stick check” an opponent. This strategy is used for dislodging or stealing the ball. However, no body contacts should be done. A player is not allowed to protect the ball by cradling it very close to her body. Also, players are not allowed to touch the ball except the goalkeeper when the ball is near the goal area.

There are two classifications of a foul, minor and major. For minor fouls, the offensive player is placed four meters away from the opponent where the foul was committed. Afterwards the game is resumed. For major fouls, the offending player is placed four meters behind the player giving the player a “free position”.