Sign up for our Newsletter!
The Box Lacrosse Roundup Newsletter gets sent every Monday and Friday at Noon EST!
Every so often, the NCAA lacrosse rules become the center of attention. This was the case last year for example, after a controversial goal call sealed the game for Duke in the final four against Penn State.
This is also the case this morning, as Syracuse had their potential game winning goal called back due their player entering the goal mouth. Maryland took the ball down the field immediately after and scored the OT winner. More on the goal mouth later.
With that in mind, I wanted to look at five potential rule changes that I would like to see in NCAA lacrosse.
Before we get into the rule changes that I would like to see, let’s get a few arguments out of the way:
- These rules are meant to maximize fun and goals. Yes, I play offence myself. It’s not bias, it’s just logic. Goals are fun. People like fun.
- The rules are in a generally solid place right now. The college game is fast, interesting, fair, and the team that plays the best usually wins. The current setup promotes depth, encourages up-tempo play, and allows room for different styles of coaching. Overall, the rules are good.
- I am not touching the face off rules in this article. Face offs are like politics. Some people make their livelihood with them. Some people think they are leading to the destruction of America. The rules around them are hard to follow and often improperly enforced. Most importantly, nobody is having their opinion changed. If you like the face off, good on you. If not, good on you. It’s a free country and everyone should be entitled to their opinion. Wait… what are we talking about again?
Ok, let’s get into five rule changes that I would like to see in NCAA lacrosse.
Rule One: Shots From the Defensive Zone Cannot Be Backed Up
Current Rule: Shots from the defensive zone are like any other shot, and the offensive team can win the race to the endline and get the ball back.
Proposed Change: Shots from the defensive side of half field count if they go in, but they are not eligible to be backed up. If you miss the net without a deflection, the other team gets the ball back.
As described in an article this week, the full field shot has become a weapon for teams around the country. These goals are fun, but using them as a near automatic way to beat a ten-man ride (which are fun to watch despite being miserable to play against) is less fun.
I think players should have the ability to shoot and score from beyond midfield, but as currently constructed, the balance between risk and reward is tilted too far in favour of the clearing team.
The proposed change is like icing in hockey. You can try to shoot for the empty net, but there has to be some consequence for missing the cage. This change would make ten man rides more useful, which leads to chaos. Chaos is fun.
Rule Two: All Penalties Should Be Full Time With One Exception
Current Rule: Certain penalties release if a power play goal is scored. This means that if a team scores one power play goal, the advantage is over. Shorthanded goals have no effect on the penalty.
Proposed Change: All penalties will be full-time served, meaning teams can score multiple goals on any given power play. The only exception is that shorthanded goals end penalties.
This one is logical. If you commit an infraction, why do you get off the hook just because you allowed a goal? This change would put an emphasis on special teams play, limiting penalties, and winning face offs after goals.
I think this change should be true in any sport where penalties are called. Why do the rules help a team that committed an infraction?
However, I am proposing one exception. This one actually comes from the newly formed Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). If the shorthanded team scores, the penalty wipes out.
I think this is a fun little wrinkle, especially on minute long or even two or three minute power plays. If you pick off a pass or create a fast break and score on it, the penalty should wipe out. Fun!
Rule Three: Blowing Up Picks Should Be A Penalty
Current Rule: Running into and knocking over the picker is rarely called as a penalty.
Proposed Change: Knocking over the picker is called as an interference penalty, just like it is everywhere else on the field.
This one is sometimes enforced, so my change is to make the penalties a point of focus. As a strategy to defend picks, some teams and players revert to “blowing up” the picker, or knocking them down to ruin the two-man game.
This is not often intentional (though sometimes it is) but that shouldn’t matter. If the defender doesn’t see the pick coming and is too out of control to stop themselves, then they deserve the foul. If not, there is no downside for the defender to try and knock over the picker.
Under the proposed change, defenders would be penalized for knocking over an off-ball player, as they are in literally every other part of the game.
Might this lead to diving? Yes. I would also institute a rule that offensive players get a penalty (not a violation) for embellishment or diving.
On top of that, diving players should have to do some sort of shaming ritual. Like 8 AM study hall for the week, enforced by the NCAA. Or they have to attend an open mic night for slam poetry and give it their best shot like in 22 Jump Street, but the team social account has to post it. Or they have to participate a minimum of three times in every one of their classes for a whole week. Even if it’s a big lecture, get that hand up you diver!
I guarantee this would work.
Rule Four: Abolish the Off-Ball Crease Rule
Current rule: If an offensive player steps in the crease for any reason, the play is immediately blown dead and the ball is awarded to the defence.
Proposed Change: When a player steps in the crease, they cannot be involved in the immediate play and cannot be the first player to touch it. But no turnover will take place.
This one is personal, because I did it a lot. For those unaware, if you step into the crease at any time, the defensive team gets the ball immediately.
It’s a bad rule because it punishes a team for not gaining an advantage. Taking one step into the crease without the ball doesn’t do anything for the offence, but is very costly.
It also combines with the third rule in this list to create the dumbest play in lacrosse: When a defender blows up a picker into the crease, which triggers the crease violation and awards the ball to the defence. This is a legitimate strategy for defensive players around the crease.
“Oh, you set a great pick behind the goal? I could get through it, or I could Jerome Bettis you into the crease and get the ball back.”
This should be interference, and the offensive team should be allowed to retain possession. You shouldn’t be allowed to score while a player is in the crease, but that wouldn’t matter if the truck stick into the crease is called a penalty.
I think the NLL has a good feel for this rule. Offensive players who enter the crease cannot be the first one to touch the ball, and they cannot be involved in the play for a few seconds. But the team can keep playing offence and it is not a turnover. Subsequently, there is no real effort to push guys into the crease.
Most importantly, teams are not punished for something that has no effect on the game.
This would be an improvement in the NCAA.
Rule Five: Get Rid of the Ice Cream Cone (Goal Mouth)
Current Rule: There is a smaller crease within the regular crease. While offensive players can technically dive, if they land or step into the smaller crease at any point, their goal is disallowed.
Proposed Change: Well… just keep reading.
Under the current system, there is a smaller crease within the regular crease in college lacrosse. This smaller crease is officially referred to as the “goal mouth” but will henceforth be referred to as the “ice cream cone” on LC Daily.
Players can dive into the crease so long as their path is “away” from the ice cream cone and they are do not land in the cone. If they dive towards the cone, the goal will not count and they are assessed a penalty if they make contact with the goaltender. If the defender pushes them in, the defender gets a penalty.
I feel that I need to keep qualifying my statements here, but this one is important: I am a friend of the goalies.
My brother is a goalie. I have several friends who are goalies. I love goalies. I want them to be safe and to stop all the shots except the ones taken by my team.
With that being said, the ice cream cone rule is dumb. Consider this play from the Maryland Terrapins last year.
Nobody can say with a clear conscience that this goal should not have counted under the spirit of lacrosse. As I understand it, this was the correct call by the officials, so this is not a criticism of them. But the rule is silly.
While Maryland was hurt by the rule, they benefitted last night. Again, I think most lacrosse fans would agree that in the spirit of the game, Syracuse’s goal should have counted. But, at least in my understanding of the rule, the refs made the right call.
I understand the argument that the Maryland player pushed Leo into the crease, but I think trying to decide the extent to which Leo dove or was pushed gets pretty existential very quickly. It’s hard for the refs to make those calls in real time.
So what should we do?
Again, the NLL has a better feel for this on a few fronts.
Diving should be allowed, so long as the ball is in before the player lands and also provided that they take off clear of the crease. This creates some of the most exciting plays in the game, and the threat of the dive creates more open lanes for the offence.
However, there are obviously safety issues for goaltenders when players take flight.
Back to my allyship with goaltenders, the NLL also has a good feel for protecting them. In the NLL, if you deliberately hit the goalie, you get a penalty. More importantly, you get beat up by up to five (5) angry Canadians.
If you get shoved into the goalie (i.e it’s not your fault), you will probably still get beat up, but you won’t get a penalty. I think this actually makes sense, and in my experience has done a decent job of protecting the keepers.
Now I know the rough stuff would never be allowed in the NCAA, so let me propose a different rule. Before every game, each team has to submit their FOGO depth chart (using the honour system).
If a player recklessly hits the goalie, then he must stand at the midfield line and hold out his arm. The lowest ranked FOGO on the other team gets to slash said players’ arm as hard as they can, just once. I promise you, this athlete on every college team is not the kind of guy you want slashing your arm.
That keeps the goalies safe, and allows the offensive players to score normal goals and not have a silly ice cream cone deciding their fate. And can you imagine the social impressions we could get from those slashes?
Kidding aside, the ice cream cone came from a good place (trying to balance allowing dives will protecting goalies). I’m not sure anyone would agree that it has worked.
Agree with my list? Disagree? Sound off in the comments below.
Keep goal area 9ft circumference. Go back to old school faceoff. New heads make it impossible for d fence to check , now they just hack the shit out of offence of players.. make defense part of the game again.
RULE #2: Playing back in the early ‘90’s, when the MD team got a touch in their Offensive box the penalty was released! If the new rule says that penalties will serve full time then reinstate our old rule to offset that so player COULD be released before full time if defense get a touch in the box!
I disagree with trying to make “blowing up a pick” a penalty. Setting a pick is the same thing as interference in the game of hockey. So if the offensive player (the man setting the pick) is willing to interfere with a play he is not involved in, he should also be prepared to get treated the same as the person carrying the ball and if he gets ran over for trying to interfere then so be it.
Yes I agree. The man setting the pick out himself in the play therefore he should be blown up. It part of the game and it is fun to watch.
Do I understand the fourth proposed rule then would mean an off-ball offensive player could enter the crease, screen the goalie, or just stand beside the goalie in the crease taking up the goalie’s space, the goalie couldn’t even touch him. Basically setting up a pick so the goalie couldn’t move to defend his own goal. As long as the offensive player doesn’t touch the ball?
No, if the player was in the crease when the shot happens, then the goal wouldnt count. So there would be no point in screening the goaltender from the crease. This is the same rule in the NLL
Close the box after a faceoff until a change of possession.
All very interesting. I’m a lifelong sports fan who only became interested in lax in my 50s when my son (now a college goalie; goalie parents are being punished for something awful in a past life) and I am mystified as to why it’s not a bigger spectator sport. I mean, soccer?
Anyway this is what I would change:
1 play the game on a football field. Same dimensions. Then every time a sports fan turned on a game they would not immediately think it’s an experimental game, or a sport that doesn’t merit its own field
2 shorten the shot clock. Duh. 60 is enough, 45 on a reset. And maybe even shorter in the last three minutes.
3 missed shot possession rule only applies if ball goes beyond the end line. Out on the side goes to whoever didn’t touch it last.
Agree 100% about standardizing field dimensions. It’s a continuing problem at many multi-purpose fields, with lacrosse relegated to random colors like black or dark blue, while football always uses white. Same with the shot clock. Much too long.
They should not change the rule to blowing up a picker. Because you are on a full on run and they set a pick they are going to get knocked down. That is the way it works it will make it less fun if they make it a penalty. As a mater a fact it will ruin the game to a certain extent.
Most of these seem to favor the offensive player. In lacrosse the defense is often under appreciated and over looked and have a tough job. These changes would just make their job harder. I have seen top notch defense work in a winning game get over shadowed by the goals made. Let’s not handicap the defense any further.
Thanks Chris! They are certainly meant to help the offence! Thanks for reading!
How about a rule change on stick checks on logos, they only can be requested before the face off! Their sticks very often get pinched during the face off and thus are illegal until they have a chance to reshape them on the sideline.
Basketball eliminated the center jump after each basket in 1936 (because it was, boring, time consuming and rewarded the team with the tallest player) and it is time for LAX to get rid of face offs after each goal. Doing so will speed up the game, make LAX more fan friendly and quit rewarding the team with the best FO player.