Colorado Mammoth Message Board

Mr. Govett...

I have a question about a rule in box lacrosse versus field lacrosse. In field lacrosse "a shot" that ends up out of bounds, posession is given to the team closest to the ball. I am curious of who gets the ball when a shot is made out of bounds in box rules. I have seen either team being rewarded with posession and I am confused...

Interesting question.

The determining factor for possession in outdoor lacrosse on a shot, is who was closest to the point the ball left the field at the time the ball left the field. Closest player to that point at that time gets possession. No such distinction exists in Indoor. In fact, I beleive this to be the single most confusing rule in outdoor lacrosse for a new viewer.

In Indoor, it is very simple, much like basketball, it is determined by who or what touched the ball last. Possession goes to the opposite team. If a player shoots the ball and hits the goalie and the ball goes out of bounds or into the safety net above the goal, the ball reverts back to the offense. If the ball misses the goal and goes out of bounds or into the safety net, possession goes to the defense.

There is only one exception to this rule. If the ball hits a post or crossbar and goes out of bounds or into the safety net, the ball goes back to the offense. This rule changed prior to last season. It used to be that if it hit the pipe and went out that it would go to the defense because the offense was the last to touch it. The Comp. Committee changed this to give the advantage to the offense here. Small nuance.

Hope this answers the question.

SG

Steve,

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question. Watching "field lacrosse" for a long time, only confused me on what happens in "box lacrosse".