8-Meter Free Position (8M)

What counts as an 8-meter free position

An 8-meter free position is awarded in girls lacrosse when a defender commits a major foul inside the 8-meter arc. The fouled player is placed on a hash mark on the arc with the ball, the defenders clear to the sides, and on the whistle she gets a free run at the goal with only the goalie to beat. It is the closest thing the girls game has to a penalty shot, and teams that convert them well score a lot of goals that way.

The stat has two halves: free positions awarded, and free positions converted into goals. A team's 8-meter conversion rate tells a coach whether to spend practice time on the free position shot, and the awarded count tells the other coach something about her defense's discipline.

How SquadProfile records it

When the official awards the free position, turn on the 8-meter situation. Record the shot as usual: a goal, a shot on goal, or a missed shot for the shooter, and the app tags a goal scored from it as an 8-meter free position goal. Turn the situation off when the play ends. If the foul was on your team, record the foul for the defender who committed it. The app keeps free positions awarded, goals, and the conversion rate in the team's stats.

Common mistakes

• Recording the goal without the situation. The goal counts, but it is not tagged, and the conversion rate loses a chance.
• Leaving the situation on after the play. The next goal gets tagged as a free position.
• Recording a free position for a minor foul outside the arc. Only a major foul inside the arc awards the shot at goal.

Where it shows up

8-meter stats do not have a column on the public leaderboards or box scores. They appear in the app, in the team's game and season stats, as free positions awarded, goals, and conversion rate.

Related stats

• Foul: what awards the free position.
• Goal: tagged as an 8-meter free position goal.
• Shot on goal and missed shot: the other outcomes.