The rules for lacrosse are different at each level and are constantly changing, making it difficult to keep track of sometimes. College is different from high school which is different from youth leagues. And of course, we know about the different men and women’s rules and equipment. It’s a lot to distinguish. We’ve combed through the rule books and the internet to help you figure out the rules you need to remember. However, it’s important to flip through the rulebook every year in order to stay up to date on any changes and revisions.
Playing Time
A girl’s high school lacrosse game consists of two halves at 25 minutes each, for a total running playing time of 50 minutes. In between, there is a 10 minute half time. This can be changed if both teams agree on a shorter amount of time before the game begins. Each team is given two two-minute timeouts per game, one per half. Use these wisely, because you aren’t allowed to use them in the last three minutes of the game. Though the game itself doesn’t seem very long, if you put in 100% of your effort for every second you’re on the field, it will definitely feel like plenty of time, trust me.
If your game goes into overtime, then of course it’ll go over the normal 50 minutes. However, the only teams that will go into overtime will be varsity high school teams. After a five minute rest period, the two teams will play two periods of three minutes of sudden death overtime, meaning that whoever scores first wins.
Girl’s vs Boy’s
Now I’m not an expert on boy’s lacrosse, I don’t know every rule, and I can’t identify the reason behind every whistle, but I have seen my fair share of games. During high school, when I watched our boy’s team play, I remember thinking that they stop A LOT. I was so used to playing for long stretches of time, and compared to our game, the boys seemed to stand around very frequently. As to the reason behind this, I’m not too sure, perhaps it has something to do with less body contact which means being allowed more time to set up plays and pass the ball around.
What I do know is that the girl’s game seems to be much more fluid. It’s faster, and it seems to have its own pace. Girls are able to get into a better rhythm, it seems that we are able to pass around the 12 and dodge and cut more easily. This might be due to the fact that defense has to stay off the body. Lacrosse is known as the fastest sport on two feet for a reason, and girls lacrosse is a good example of this.
How the Game has Changed to Accomodate Time
The rules that I was playing with in high school are different than the ones that are in place today. Refs are now encouraged to keep a better eye on who has possession and momentum and making calls in relation to that. For example, as opposed to calling every foul, a ref has the authority to see whether there is a natural turnover after a tussle so as not to disrupt momentum. I remember many times where I would get control of a groundball and start running into the offense ahead of the defender, only to have the ref blow the whistle so I was forced to stop. I would then be given an extra meter of space before we were able to start again.
Another rule that we had was having to stop on every whistle. We had to freeze in our positions to keep the orientation of the field. This made starting up after the whistle difficult. Now, girls are able to position themselves however they want on a whistle, so play can continue seamlessly when the whistle is blown again.
Variants on Game Length
In some instances, the teams can choose to keep games shorter than normal in cases of extreme weather or some other factor or influence. The duration of the game is the only rule that can be altered by the teams, so long as both teams are in agreement. The league or conference also has the authority to change the length of a game.
Sometimes a game will have to be suspended or interrupted. This can be because of field conditions or bad weather. If 80% of the game has elapsed, the end score will be counted as the final score. If the game is picked up on another occasion, it must start at the point of interruption.