Lacrosse Faceoff Rules - 2022 NCAA MLAX Rule Book

Everything there is to know about the lacrosse faceoff rules.

This guide to lacrosse faceoff rules has almost 5,000 words. If it were a double-spaced essay in Microsoft Word, it would be over 15 pages long.

There’s a lot going on here.

So to help navigate through this mountain of Lax IQ lacrosse faceoff rules explanation and analysis, we’ve added a table of contents.

Use the table to jump around within this rule guide, to make improving your faceoff rules LaxIQ even easier!

Here’s the table:

Ch 1 on faceofzzzzzz

Think of it like a jump-ball in basketball or a puck-drop in hockey.

No one has control of the ball yet, and one player from each team gets to battle it out to try to take possession of the ball.

Two players line up at the center of the field. When the referee blows the whistle, they try to be first to scoop up the ball or get it to a teammate.

Before each period and after every goal—most of the time.

The lacrosse faceoff rules in the NCAA Rule Book list a bunch of exceptions, which you can read below.

But you could sum them up as “if one team commits a foul before a faceoff would start, we just skip the faceoff and the other team gets the ball.”

But since LaxIQ is all about understanding the game on every level, let’s get into the details.

Exceptions — when DON’T we faceoff?

There are a few scenarios that cause faceoffs to be skipped. Most of the time, faceoffs happen without issue, but these scenarios show up every so often.

Here they are.

1. End of Quarter — Man down or flag down, with possession

Usually each new quarter starts with a faceoff. But not always. Here are 2 scenarios that cause the faceoff to get skipped.

At the end of a quarter:

1. If Team A is man-up or man-down when time runs out, or
2. If a flag is down when time runs out because Team B committed a delayed penalty

In these cases, Team A will start the next quarter with the ball—no faceoff needed.

However!

In both of these cases, Team A will only keep possession if they are currently holding onto the ball when time expires.

If the ball is on the ground or in mid-air when time expires, they are not considered “in team possession,” and therefore will not automatically get the ball—back to faceoff time.

2. Foul before faceoff

This one is fairly self-explanatory, but it gets overlooked. If a player or team commits a foul before a faceoff, the refs will skip the faceoff and give the ball to the other team.

What’s a foul before a faceoff? Good question— it’s an example of a dead ball foul. Just because the faceoff hasn’t happened yet or the ball isn’t currently in play doesn’t mean the rules are suspended.

Example of a foul before a faceoff:

After time expires to end a quarter, a Team A player knocks down a Team B player. The foul counts. It’s unsportsmanlike conduct. The offending Team A player will be flagged and penalized, and Team B will start the next quarter with the ball—no faceoff.

3. Delay of Faceoff

Once the faceoff is set to begin, all involved players must move to their assigned positions and perform their assigned duties in a timely manner. Failure to do so means the refs will skip the faceoff and award the ball to the other team.

But this also means that moving from a defined position can cost you possession. If a faceoff player backs out or stands up after the official gives the “down” command and the faceoff players’ sticks are placed on the ground, that’s a delay, and it will skip the faceoff.

4. Moving at Set

As part of a faceoff, the official will call the faceoff players to the Set position. Once the players are at Set, they can’t move.

If they move their stick or any part of their body while at Set, the ref will skip the faceoff and award the ball to the other team.

Here are the 5 ways a faceoff can require a reface.

1. Out of bounds & no clear last-touch

If the ball goes out of bounds in the midfield area and the officials can’t figure out who last touched the ball, they’ll call a reface.

You can expect LOTS of arguing from both benches in this case.

2. Inadvertent whistle

Refs will call a reface if there’s an inadvertent whistle—everyone’s favorite—while the ball is still in the midfield area.

In this case, the whistle basically ends the play too early, so the refs will set it up again.

This would only happen before possession gets called. If the inadvertent whistle came after possession, the faceoff is considered complete. And therefore the possessing team keeps it, and there’s no need for a reface.

3. Injury at midfield

If an injury occurs in the midfield area during a faceoff, refs will line up a reface after the injured player leaves the field.

This would only happen before possession gets called. If the inadvertent whistle came after possession, the faceoff is considered complete. And therefore the possessing team keeps it, and there’s no need for a reface.

4. Simultaneous loose-ball fouls

If a reface is rare, this situation is even more rare. If ever simultaneous fouls of equal duration occur while the ball is loose—i.e. two players push their opponents at the same time—that will trigger a reface.

They have to be simultaneous, and they have to be of equal duration.

If Team A commits a loose-ball push at the same moment that Team B commits a slash, the slash outweighs the push.

Therefore Team A will get the ball and a man-up possession—even though they just committed a push.

5. Official timeout

If the official calls their own timeout before possession is awarded, that ends the faceoff prematurely. That will trigger a reface.

Even rarer: the un-exception

In a faceoff scenario, when one player commits a foul, that usually skips the faceoff and the other team gets the ball.

But there are a few exceptions.

Believe it or not, there are some situations in which the refs are going to call for a faceoff anyway, despite one or more rules being broken.

Here they are:

1. Offsetting fouls

Let’s imagine that, by some crazy fluke, both teams commit fouls before a faceoff, at the exact same time.

They could be technical fouls or personal fouls with equal penalty time—simultaneous delay of game fouls (bear with me here) or simultaneous late hits (which are really illegal body checks).

Usually a foul before a faceoff negates the faceoff and causes the offended team to start with the ball.

However since both teams committed their fouls simultaneously, those penalties will off-set, and the faceoff is back on.

2. Flag down creates all-even

Lax IQers will know that a when period ends during an uneven man-up/man-down situation, whichever team possesses the ball when time expires will retain possession to start the next period.

But there’s an exception. Because of course there is.

Let’s say Team A is man-up. Team B takes the ball away and gains possession. During their ride, Team A commits a slash against Team B.

The official throws a yellow flag for a delayed penalty and yells “play on.” Team B holds the ball, maintains possession, and time expires.

Normally, Team B would start the next period with the ball, since they had possession as time expired during an uneven situation.

However, because there was a flag down when the period expired, and that flag (or the foul that caused it) created an all-even situation, the official will enforce the penalty for the start of the next period.

This means the period starts all-even, and therefore will begin with a faceoff.

Two officials will be part of the faceoff mechanic. The official conducting the faceoff will start the procedure by holding the ball and bringing the players together.

1. The official shall indicate to the players the spot on which the faceoff will take place and instruct the players to prepare for the faceoff by saying “down.”
2. Once the players are down, they are to move into their faceoff position as quickly as possible. Players shall stand as they get into position for the faceoff.
3. The crosses and gloves shall rest on the ground along the center line, parallel to each other up to, but not touching, the center line. All fingers of both hands shall be gloved and wrapped around the crosse. The crosse head and the gloved hands shall be touching the ground. The hand closest to the throat shall be in a palm-up position.

4. The official shall make certain that the reverse surfaces of the crosses match evenly and are perpendicular to the ground. Each player shall have both hands wrapped around the handle of their own crosse, touching the ground. The right hand may not touch any part of the head of the crosse. The player’s feet may not touch their crosse. Both hands and feet of each player shall be to the left of the throat of their crosse. Each player shall be positioned so their entire body is to the left of the throat of their crosse. It is legal to lean over the center line.
5. If the players are not positioned properly, the officials may adjust the players positioning (including crosses) to ensure the faceoff will be conducted fairly for both players.
6. Once the players are in the proper position, the official shall place the ball on the ground, in between the head of each crosse, paying close attention to placing the ball in the middle of the head of each crosse.
7. Once the official is satisfied with the placement of the ball and the positioning of the players’ crosses, he shall instruct the players to remain motionless by saying “Set.” The official will still have one or both hands on the ball or crosses when the command “Set” is given.
8. After the “Set” command, the official shall back out and blow the whistle when clear of the scrimmage area. The official does not have to be stationary, and in all likelihood will still be moving backwards, when he blows the whistle to start play. The whistle cadence will vary with every faceoff.
9. Violations, if they occur, may be called by any official and shall be recorded by all officials. Three or more violations on a team in one half will result in a time-served technical foul on the violating team. The third or subsequent violations in the same half will be served by the player committing the violation.
10. A violation will be called if a player picks up and carries the ball on the back of the crosse. The ball shall be moved, raked or directed immediately within one step.
11. A player may not trap the ball with their crosse longer than necessary to control the ball and pick it up with one continuous motion. A player may not withhold the ball from play in any other manner.
12. It is illegal to kick, step on, or place any other body part to their own crosse or the crosse of the opponent. It is illegal for a faceoff player to use their crosse to hold or pin down an opponent’s crosse.
13. It is illegal for a player to use their hand or fingers to play the ball. This shall be enforced immediately as an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Inadvertent touching of the ball when the hand is grasping the crosse should not be called as an unsportsmanlike conduct foul.
14. It is illegal for a player to grab the ball or an opponent’s crosse with the open hand or fingers. This shall be enforced immediately as an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
15. Paint or a single wrap of thin tape shall be applied to the handle of the crosse for any player taking a faceoff. The tape or paint is to begin (but not touch) the plastic at the throat of the crosse and continuing 6 inches down the handle. The tape or paint shall be of contrasting color to the head, gloves and shaft. Thick or sticky material is prohibited.

If you’ve been around the sport of lacrosse for a while, you’ll probably be tempted to say “the faceoff is over when the ref yells ‘POSSESSION!'” and you’d be partially right.

But only partially.

There are actually four ways a faceoff can end:

• a player of either team has gained possession of the ball
• the ball goes out of bounds before either team has gained possession
• the ball crosses either defensive-area restraining line
• a whistle stops play for a time-serving penalty

Basically anytime the ball leaves this area— or there’s a whistle for a penalty.

A.R. 2.

SCENARIO: Before the start of the game or while time is out between periods, including overtime, B1 commits a personal foul. Should the official award the ball to Team A on the offensive side of the field?

RULING: Yes.

A.R. 3.

SCENARIO: Rule 4-3-a, Exception 1 (a period ending with an extra man and one team having possession of the ball) was intended to allow a team with such an advantage to retain this advantage at the beginning of the next period. However, it is conceivable that action between periods could nullify the extra man and, consequently, possession would be awarded based on the sequence of the dead-ball fouls.

A.R. 4.

SCENARIO: With teams at even strength, A1 has possession of the ball and B1 commits any foul as period ends. Flag-down.

RULING: Next period starts with Team A in possession of the ball in Team A’s offensive end of the field. However, if between periods Team A commits a time-serving foul, the ball is awarded to Team B on Team B’s offensive side of the field.

A.R. 5.

SCENARIO: With teams at even strength, A1 has possession of the ball and B1 commits any foul as the period ends. Flag-down. However, between periods, A2 and B2 commit (1) simultaneous technical fouls, or (2) simultaneous personal fouls with equal penalty time.

RULING: In either case, the ball is awarded to Team A on the offensive side of the field.

A.R. 6.

SCENARIO: With teams at even strength, A1 has possession of the ball in the defensive half of the field and B1 commits any foul as the period ends. Flag-down. The next period should begin with Team A in possession of the ball and B1 serving penalty time. However, between periods, A2 commits (1) a technical foul; or (2) a personal foul.

RULING: The foul by player A2 would be considered a dead ball foul. In (1) Award the ball to Team B on the offensive side of the field and A2 does not serve penalty time. For (2) Award the ball to Team B on the offensive side of the field. Player A2 will serve penalty time. Penalty times for both B1 and A2 will be started at the same time and adjudicated as per Rule 7-5.

A.R. 7.

SCENARIO: Team A has possession of the ball, B1 is in the penalty area with 25 seconds remaining on B1’s penalty time as the period ends. The next period starts with Team A in possession of the ball. However, between periods, A1 commits (1) a technical foul; or (2) a personal foul.

RULING: The next period starts with Team B in possession of the ball. Locate the ball according to Rule 7-3. (1) A1 does not serve any penalty time; (2) A1 serves penalty time.

A.R. 8.

SCENARIO: A1 has possession and B1 commits a penalty; a flag is down. The ball becomes loose in the offensive half of the field as the period ends.

(1) The flag creates an uneven penalty situation; or

(2) the flag creates an even penalty situation.

RULING:

(1) The next period starts with the ball awarded to Team A at the same relative position at the other end of the field and B1 serving penalty time. Faceoff restrictions do not apply.

(2) Faceoff.

A.R. 9.

SCENARIO: There is an injury on a faceoff before possession is obtained.

RULING: Re-face with original restrictions in force, except when the ball has crossed the defensive-area line; in that case, the ball shall be awarded according to the alternate-possession rule.

1. After two faceoff violations in one half by a team, the third and subsequent violations result in a 30-second technical penalty. This applies to both pre- and post-whistle violations that directly relate to the faceoff. On the third and subsequent violations, the player committing the violation shall serve the penalty.
2. Violations by the wing players before the faceoff will count toward the three per half. Only the faceoff players may be penalized for a post-whistle faceoff violation.
3. During the faceoff in all penalty situations, there shall be four players in the defensive area and three players in the offensive area. Exception: When a team has three or more players in the penalty area, a player may come out of its defensive area to take the faceoff.
4. Post-whistle pertains to faceoff activities only. This is meant for violations like pinning an opponent’s crosse, etc., immediately after the whistle, while the faceoff players are still contesting; once the ball is free from the faceoff players, normal rules apply. A push or a hold after the ball has left the faceoff spot would not constitute a faceoff violation.
5. The violation count resets for overtime, and accumulates through overtime periods.
6. Delay of game prior to a faceoff is never a faceoff violation, even if committed by the faceoff player.

A.R. 10.

SCENARIO: On a faceoff, A2 uses their hand to grab the ball. It is Team A’s third violation of a half.

RULING: Team B’s ball. A2 will serve two penalties (unsportsmanlike conduct and technical foul for the third faceoff violation). Team A is one player down.

A.R. 11.

SCENARIO: On a faceoff, the ball becomes stuck in A1’s crosse so that the ball is withheld from play.

RULING: Immediate whistle; award the ball to Team B as this is a faceoff violation.

A.R. 12.

SCENARIO: A1 and B1 have assumed legal faceoff positions. After the official blows the whistle to initiate play and prior to possession,

(1) Either A1 or B1 strikes the opponent in the head or above the shoulders; or

(2) Both A1 and B1 strike each other in the head or above the shoulders.

RULING:

(1) Illegal body check. If the player speared or targeted the head of the opponent, the penalty time is nonreleasable.

(2) Simultaneous fouls. If the peanlty time is equal, reface the ball.

A.R. 13.

SCENARIO: On a faceoff, A1’s hand or thumb closest to the throat of the stick is in an improper position.

RULING: Illegal faceoff position. All fingers, including the thumb, of both hands shall be gloved and wrapped around the crosse and shall be resting on the ground. Award ball to Team B.

A.R. 14.

SCENARIO: On a faceoff, A1 meets all requirements. However, when the official blows the whistle, A1 “kicks” through the crosse rather than drawing the crosse.

RULING: Illegal faceoff. The ball is awarded to Team B.

A.R. 15.

SCENARIO: On a faceoff, A1 makes an audible comment meant to cause B1 to move before the whistle is blown to initiate play.

RULING: Unsportsmanlike conduct, one minute, nonreleasable penalty.A.R. 16. On a faceoff and before possession has been declared, attackman or defenseman B1 touches or crosses the defensive-area line.

RULING: Play on.

A.R. 17.

SCENARIO: On a faceoff, A1 meets all requirements of the faceoff. However, A1 has one or both of A1’s elbows braced against A1’s thighs or legs.

RULING: Legal position.

A.R. 18.

SCENARIO: After the faceoff whistle has sounded, but before the faceoff has ended, a player loses any of the required equipment in the scrimmage area, and the player

(1) Continues to play;

(2) Leaves the scrimmage area; or

(3) Is, in the opinion of an official, in danger of injury.

RULING:

(1) Technical foul, possible play-on.

(2) Play continues since the player is neither violating a rule nor is in danger.

(3) The official shall blow the whistle immediately. Award the ball according to Rule 6-6-z (playing without equipment).

A.R. 19.

SCENARIO: After a faceoff, the ball touches a player or players and goes out of bounds in the area between the defensive-area lines. Officials do not know who touched it last.

RULING: Reface.

A.R. 20.

SCENARIO: On a faceoff, the ball crosses the defensive-area line when the official inadvertently blows the whistle.

RULING: Award the ball according to the alternate-possession rule.

A.R. 21.

SCENARIO: On a faceoff, the Team A faceoff player moves before the official blows the whistle. (1) Wing player A2 or B2 is across the wing line as the whistle blows. (2) Attack or defense player A3 or B3 is across the restraining line as the whistle blows.

RULING: In all cases, because Team A had a faceoff violation, the faceoff has not taken place. Award the ball to Team B. Ignore the wing-area or restraining-line violation.

A.R. 22.

SCENARIO: During a faceoff, A1 covers the ball to draw it back. B1 clamps on top of A1’s stick and does not allow A1 to play the ball.

RULING: Holding by B1. A1 is awarded the ball.

A.R. 23.

SCENARIO: During a faceoff, A1 quickly directs the ball to A2.

RULING: Legal play. The intent of this rule is to have the faceoff be a play that is in continuous motion.

A.R. 24.

SCENARIO: During a faceoff, A1 clamps on the ball and withholds the ball from play.

RULING: Withholding by A1; the ball is awarded to Team B.

A.R. 25.

SCENARIO: A1 prepares to take a faceoff with a crosse that does not conform to faceoff requirements (no single layer of contrasting color tape on the shaft), but is otherwise legal for play.

RULING: This is counted as a faceoff violation. However, A1 and the crosse may remain in the game and participate in play.

A.R. 26.

SCENARIO: A1 pinches the ball in the back of the crosse and

(1) immediately flips the ball into the front of the crosse;

(2) immediately flips the ball onto the ground and directs the ball to a teammate; or

(3) takes more than one step away from the center line and flips the ball into the front of the crosse.

RULING: In (1) and (2), these are legal plays. In (3), this is a faceoff violation for withholding. Award the ball to Team B.

The positions of the other players on the field, before the start of a faceoff, shall be as follows:

When a team has all of its players on the field, it shall confine its goalkeeper and three other players behind the defensive-area line in its defensive end, three players behind the defensive-area line in its offensive end, and one player in each of the wing areas.

If a team is down three players due to fouling out, explusions, injuries, etc., one defender may come forward to take the faceoff but shall remain onside.

When the whistle sounds to start play, the players in the wing areas shall be released. All other players are confined to their areas until the faceoff has ended.

Players designated in the midfield area and players designated behind the defensive-area line may not interchange positions before the faceoff has ended, but midfield players may substitute.

A.R. 27.

SCENARIO: After a faceoff and before possession has been declared or the ball crosses the defensive-area line, A1 wing player runs across A1’s defensive-area line and A2, who was behind the defensive-area line at the beginning of the faceoff, comes across the defensive-area line to play the loose ball.

RULING: Technical foul against A2. Ball awarded to Team B.

A.R. 28.

SCENARIO: If a non-time-serving foul is committed before, during or after a faceoff (but before possession and before the ball crosses the defensive-area line), wing players will be released immediately, but players behind the defensive-area line will not be released until the whistle blows to resume play.