Women's Lacrosse Rules

Basic Rules of the Game
-When a whistle blows, all players must stop in place.
-When a ball is ruled out of play, the player closest to the ball gets possession.
-Loss of possession may occur if a player deliberately runs or throws the ball out of play.
-Rough checks and contact to the body with the crosse or body are not allowed.
-No player is allowed to touch the ball with her hands except the goalkeeper when she is within the goal circle.

Game Information
-Women's lacrosse is a non-contact game played by 12 players: a goalkeeper, five attackers and six defenders.
-Players pass, catch or run with the ball in their crosse.
-The object of the game is to shoot the ball into the opponent's goal.
-The collegiate game is 60 minutes long, each half being 30 minutes.
-The high school girl's game is 50 minutes long, each half being 25 minutes.
-Teams are allowed two timeouts per game including overtime. 

The Draw
-The draw is taken by the center position at the center of the midfield line. 
-The ball is placed between two horizontally held crosses at the center of the field. 
-As the whistle blows, the ball is flung into the air as the crosses are pulled up and away.
-A draw is used to start each half and after each goal

Field Dimensions
-The boundaries are determined by the natural restrictions of the field.
-The minimum dimensions for a field is 120 yards by 70 yards.
-A restraining line located 30 yards from each goal line
-Only a maximum of seven offensive players and eight defensive players (including the goalkeeper) are allowed in the restraining line.
-There is a 12-meter fan which officials use to position players after fouls.
-There is an arc in front of each goal which is considered the critical scoring area, where defenders must be at least within a stick's-length of their attacker.


Checking
-A player may gain possession of the ball by dislodging it from an opponent's crosse with a check.
-All legal checks must be directed away from a seven-inch sphere around the head of the player which is known as the "bubble".
-A check is a controlled tap with a crosse on an opponent's crosse in an attempt to knock the ball free. 
-The player must be one step in front of her opponent in order to check.
-No player may reach across an opponent's body to check the handle of a crosse when she is even with or behind that opponent.
-A player may not protect the ball in her crosse by cradling so close to her body or face so as to make a legal, safe check impossible for the opponent.

Fouls
-Fouls are categorized as major or minor,  The penalty for fouls is a called a “free position”.
-When a major foul occurs, the offending player is placed four meters behind the player taking the free position. 
-When a minor foul occurs, the offending player is placed four meters off, in the direction from which she approached her opponent before committing the foul, then play is resumed.
-When a minor foul is committed in the critical scoring area, the player with the ball has an indirect free position, in which case the player must pass first.
-A slow whistle occurs when the offense has entered the critical scoring area and the defense has committed a major foul.  A flag is thrown but no whistle is sounded so that the offense has an opportunity to score a goal. A whistle is blown when a goal is scored or the scoring opportunity is over. An immediate whistle is blown when a major foul, obstruction or shooting space occurs, which jeopardizes the safety of a player.