As part of LCD’s continuing box lacrosse coverage this season, I wanted to highlight the different ways that players are finding the back of the net this summer. With the (large) size of the goaltenders, and the (small) size of the nets, it is obviously a challenge to score in the box game.
There are three main ways that players can score in box lacrosse. The first is to pick a corner so well that you cleanly beat the goaltender. I always loved this clip from my Orangeville teammate and current Vegas Desert Dog Dylan Watson. This is an obvious example of the most simple goals, when the most talented players can just pick a corner.
This is the hardest kind of goal to get. It takes skill, has a high margin of error (for example due to hitting the post or missing the net) and most most players is not a reliable method for goal scoring.
The second is to move the goaltender out of a spot, creating more room to score. While challenging to do, it increases the margin of error on the actual shot. There are many ways to do this, like traditional fakes on inside shots or by running across the goal in transition. This would also include passing plays and cross-crease feeds for quick sticks. By moving the goaltender, you open up space to score.
But there are also subtle ways to move goaltenders, like this twister from Finn Thomson.Â
Notice how open the corner is.
But the third primary way, and the focus of this article, is to use defenders as a screen. The most basic purpose of this is to hide the head of the stick from the goaltender for as long as possible. Like moving the goaltender, using screens creates a larger margin of error, as the goalie cannot track the shot and thus there is a better chance that the shot will go in. In other words, the shot doesn’t have to be perfect.
In these scenarios, even the shooters might not know exactly where the shot is going. The on-ball defender will often have some sort of impact on the ball, but the randomness often favours the shooter. Sometimes neither the shooter nor the goalie know where the ball is headed.
Advantage: Shooter.
I wanted to highlight a few great examples of this technique that we have seen in recent days. The first is this one from Alex Roussel of Mimico. Viewers can follow the thought process of Roussel throughout the shot, as you can see that he decides not to shoot over the top and decides to extend his arms around his defender.
In that same game, Zack Toll scored a similar goal for St. Catharines, where he reaches around his defender and wraps it back to the near side corner. This particular shot is very effective because goaltenders are taught to step towards the ball, which most of the time from a release like this will head to the far pipe. When that step occurs, it creates room on the short-side foot of the goaltender.
In either case, it is clear that the goaltenders were caught off guard by the pace and location of the shots. Roussel’s shot went top corner, but Toll’s shot probably benefited from the late reaction.
Here is another example of that release, from Orangeville’s Joe Spallina. I will include a screenshot of the moment he releases the ball. The head of his stick is right in the hip pocket of his defender.
That’s great technique.
This isn’t the only way to accomplish the same goal though. Here is an example from Six Nations Arrows forward Winter Rivera. Instead of one defender, Rivera uses two defenders plus his own teammate as a sort of offensive line. Because of the multiple players in the way, his only option is to bring his stick over the top. The Peterborough goaltender cannot get a good read on the shot, and Rivera kicked off the scoring for Six Nations.
Keep an eye out for this technique all summer long and stay tuned to LCD for our continuing box lacrosse coverage.