• Female lacrosse is a fast-paced sport with 221,611 players in 2009, according to a participation survey by U.S. Lacrosse that included competitors on the youth, high school, college and post-college levels. While the sport has nuances that the athletes and coaches must know, the basics are easy to understand for spectators and newcomers.
  
  

Positions

• Each team uses 12 players on the field at one time, according to the U.S. Lacrosse's 2010 Official Rules for Girls and Women's Lacrosse. On defense, the positions include a goalkeeper and five field players--a point, a coverpoint, a third man, a left defense wing and a right defense wing. On offense, the five players are a first home, a second home, a third home, a left attack wing and a right attack wing. Additionally, a center plays both defense and offense.
  
  

Field Dimensions

• Games are played on a rectangular field, which isn't one standard size throughout the country. Teams have guidelines, though, that they must follow about the field's size. A field must extend vertically between 110 yards and 140 yards from end line to end line. The field extends horizontally between 60 yards to 70 yards from sideline to sideline. The two goalposts must be placed between 90 yards and 100 yards apart from goal line to goal line, according to U.S. Lacrosse. At each end, a space between 10 yards to 20 yards goes to the end line.
  
  

Game Clock

• High school female lacrosse games last 50 minutes, and adult games, such as college contests, last 60 minutes. Both levels feature a halftime that lasts a maximum of 10 minutes, but could be shorter if the teams agree on it before the game. The game clock runs continuously like in soccer. Exceptions when the clock get stopped include after teams take timeouts, after a goal is scored, during an injury, at the issuance of a penalty card, to check a broken stick, called a crosse, and for unusual circumstances like if a spectator runs onto the field. The clock continues to run after goals if a team is up by 10 or more goals. Additionally, the clock gets stopped on every whistle in the final 2 minutes of each half.
  
  

Scoring

• A player scores a goal by hitting the ball into the net with her stick. The entire ball must go over the goal line in-between the posts, and under the cross-bar, according to U.S. Lacrosse. A goal can also be scored if it deflects off a defender or her stick. A goal doesn't count if an attacking player hits the ball into the goal with her body, or interferes with the goalkeeper while she is in the goal circle. U.S. Lacrosse has other rules that disallow a goal, such as if a ball goes into the goal after the horn or whistle was blown and if the attacking team uses an illegal player on the field.