Lacrosse Intramural Rules
General Guidelines
- Each team will have five players
- Each team must have 2 men and 2 women, the fifth player may be of either gender.
- We will have one neutral goalie. The goalie will have four seconds to clear the ball after he/she catches it. No defender may enter the crease to interfere with the pass
- We will be using a soft lacrosse ball.
- You may wear any type of gear you wish (gloves, pads etc.) but none is required.
- Home will wear white shirts and visitors will wear dark.
Playing the Game
- The team that does not have possession at the beginning of the game will have first possession at the beginning of the second half
- After a goal is scored, possession of the ball will be given to the other team behind the yellow line on the court.
- Anytime the ball changes possession it must be taken back behind the yellow line. Possession is defined as having control of the ball off the surface of the floor.
- There will be two twenty minute halves with a five minute break in between
- During the regular season if a game ends in a tie there will be a five minute sudden death overtime period. If there is no score in overtime the game will end in a tie.
- During the playoffs if there has been no score in overtime then there will be five penalty shots taken by each team (alternating teams) to determine the winner. If after five shots there is still no winner each team will alternatively take one penalty shot until one team has the advantage after both teams have shot.
- If a ball is within two feet of the wall or gym equipment the person closest to the ball gains possession.
Fouls and Penalties
- We will be playing by a loose version of the women’s lacrosse rules.
- A called foul will equal a change of possession if on the offense. If the foul is on the defense then the offense will retain possession.
- Profane language or dangerous play (to be determined by the rec sports staff) will result in a five minute penalty and the player’s team will play down during that time. A second violation will remove the player from the game.
- Stick to Stick- You may use your stick to hit another person’s stick (this is called “checking”), but you must check away from the person’s face. If you hit the other person’s body it will be considered a foul and will change possession.
- Body- Contact similar to basketball will be expected. Obvious violent contact will be a foul/change of possession.
- Kicking- If the ball is kicked more than five feet there will be a change of possession
- Since there is no ref, all calls must be honored by the opposing team
Boundaries
- We will be playing half court. Similar to women’s rules (and since we don’t have referees) we will be playing loose boundaries. You may step one or two feet over the basketball court boundary lines. You may not use the wall as another defender (ie: to pin the other team against the wall.)
- The goal is surrounded by a circle boundary called the crease. Offender’s sticks or bodies may not enter the crease. Violations will mean loss of possession. Defenders may only enter if they do not have possession of the ball.
Blood Borne Pathogen Policy
Any player who sustains an injury where bleeding or oozing occurs must leave the court. The bleeding must be stopped and the area completed covered before the individual is allowed to reenter the game. The Rec Sports Staff must clear the individual before he/she resumes play. If the uniform has become contaminated with blood, it must be changed before the player reenters the game.
