There are four main positions in the game of lacrosse, Attack, Midfield, Defense and Goalie. We'll go over the details of each position with some photos to help explain them! In boys lacrosse there are three attack, three midfielders, three defenders and one goalie on the field at a time for each team (drawn below). Girls lacrosse has 12 players on the field at a time and we'll go over the differences in another article.
Attack: The Attackers job is to receive the ball from the midfielders in transition, and set up the offense. The three attackers must stay on the offensive side of the field because there has to be three players from the team on this side the field at all times or its a penalty. One exception to that rule is an attacker may go over the midfield line but another player on their team usually a midfielder must stay on the offensive side in place of them until they come back. Attackers must have the best stick skills when it comes to shooting, passing, and protecting their stick from defenders because they touch the ball the most on the team.
Midfield: The three midfielders or "middies" are allowed to play over the entire Lacrosse field. They start the game with a face-off and play both offense and defense. A good midfielder must have speed and endurance since they run up and down the field like soccer. All players on the field can also sub on the fly without any stoppage of play very similar to hockey, middies do this the most. Middies must be very good at picking up ground balls for there team.
Defense: The three defenders must stay on the defensive side of the field since there has to be four players(3 Defenders and 1 goalie) on this half or it's a penalty. The one exception to this rule is just like an attacker if a defender or goalie crosses over the half line an extra player on their team must stay on the defensive side for them until that player is back. It's defenders job to make sure the opponent does not score a goal. Defenders have longer lacrosse sticks to allow them to throw better checks and pick off passes from attackers. They guard the three attackers from the other team and are usually some of the biggest players on the field.
Goalie: Much like all sports the goalie is one of the most important positions in lacrosse. The goalie uses a much bigger head and net on their stick to help save shots. The goalie stands in a small circular area around the goal, called the crease, no one from the other team can go in the crease. Goalies must have the best hand-eye coordination in order to save shots since they're coming very fast. Although the goalies wear special pads to help protect them, they still get hit with some shots so they must be very tough players as well.
BONUS Two Extra Positions: Within the positions we already talked about above there are also two speciality positions below.
Face-Off: A great face-off player is one of the most valuable things a team can have because they determine who gets to start with the ball. He's one of the three midfielders on the field at a time. A face-off is how each quarter of the game is started, and after every goal is scored like hockey. Face-Off Players must be very strong and great at picking up ground balls.
Long Stick Midfielder: The LSM is also one of the three midfielders on the field who can sub in when the team plays defense or faces off. Teams want an extra long stick on the field while playing defense because it's harder to score against a long stick defender than a short stick midfielder. The LSM must have the strength of a defender combined with the offensive skills and endurance of the midfielder.
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We hope this helps clarify some of the lacrosse positions, feel free to CONTACT US with any questions we would be happy to help you out!
- Tyler Simmons
Former D1 University of Denver Player "14
Stanford Lacrosse Offensive Coordinator
Elevate Founder