Boys Lacrosse Lingo
When you're on the sidelines and you don't know what the other parents are saying.
- Cherry picking: standing by the goal for an easy scoring opportunity.
- Cutter: An offensive player cutting through the defense looking for an easy scoring opportunity.
- GF: Goals for.
- GA: Goals against
- Clear: Successfully moving the ball from the defensive end of the field to the offensive end.
- 2-on-1 (3-on-2, 4-on-3, 5-on-4): These are situations where the offense outnumbers the defense near the goal, creating a tactical advantage for scoring.
- 2 Minute Rule or “Keep it In”: In the last two minutes of a close game, the leading team must keep the ball within the offensive box, or they risk turning it over to the opposition.
- Alley: This refers to the area on the field extending from the goal post up to the top of the box and over to the edge of the box, important for strategic positioning.
- Ball or Ball Down: This is shouted when the ball is on the ground, indicating a loose ball and prompting a contest for possession.
- Behind-the-Back: A skillful and often surprising technique of passing or shooting the ball from behind the player's back.
- Crease: The circular area around the goal that opposing players are typically not allowed to enter, essential for protecting goalkeepers.
- Cutting: An offensive player's movement without the ball to get open for a pass, typically heading toward the goal.
- Face-off: The method by which play is started at the beginning of the game, quarters, and after goals, where two players vie for control of the ball.
- Fast Break: A rapid transition from defense to offense, usually resulting in a temporary numerical advantage and scoring opportunity.
- Flag Down: Indicates a delayed penalty call where the offense should keep playing until the ball is dropped or a goal is scored.
- “Send it”: A long, often desperate pass or clear from the defensive end to the offensive end, usually by the goalie.
- Ground Balls: Refers to the loose balls on the ground, which players compete to gain possession of.
- Long Stick Middie (LSM) or “Stick” or “Pole”: A midfielder who uses a longer stick, typically for defensive purposes, and often involved in face-offs or ground ball play.
- Loose Ball: When the ball is not in possession of either team and is up for grabs.
- Man Down: Refers to a team playing with fewer players due to a penalty, putting them at a disadvantage.
- Man-Up: The opposite of man down; a team has more players due to an opponent's penalty.
- Celly: Short for celebration.
- D-pole: Defense pole. Refers to a long stick used by defensemen in lacrosse.
- Rip: A powerful shot.
- Yard sale: A player who loses or drops their equipment during play, leaving it scattered on the field as if it were items for sale.
- Wall Ball: A practice technique where players throw the ball against a wall to practice and improve their stick handling and catching.
- Bouncer: A shot that bounces off the ground before reaching the goal, making it harder for the goalie to predict and save.
- Brick Wall: Refers to an exceptionally good goalie, implying that it's as hard to score on them as it would be to get a ball through a brick wall.
- Rusty Gate: A defensive check where the player swings their stick around their own body to dislodge the ball from the opponent.
- Tilt: The angle of a player's helmet, often used to imply a certain swagger or style associated with confident or skilled players.
- Crank Shot: A hard, overhand shot generated by a wind-up motion, often from a distance.
- Shovel Pass: A type of pass where the player scoops the ball up and tosses it without the full motion of a standard pass.
- Lax Rat: A term of endearment for someone who lives and breathes lacrosse, spends a lot of time playing or practicing, and is deeply passionate about the game.
- Wheels: Run Fast.
- Ball Hunt: Where players look for lacrosse balls.