Faceoff (FO)

What counts as a faceoff

A faceoff starts play at the beginning of each period and after every goal in boys lacrosse. Two players crouch at the midline, the official places the ball between their sticks, and on the whistle each tries to control it or direct it to a teammate. The faceoff is won by the team that gains possession, and the result is credited to the player who took it, win or lose, whether he scooped the ball himself or a wing picked it up. A violation before the whistle that hands possession to the other team counts the same way: a win for the team awarded the ball, a loss for the other, credited to the two players at the X.

Faceoffs are possession, and possession is the game. A team that wins two thirds of its faceoffs starts most of the game with the ball, which is why the player who takes them is often a specialist and why his win percentage gets its own line.

How SquadProfile records it

Tap the player who took the faceoff, then tap Faceoff, then Won or Lost. The result belongs to him. Then record the ground ball for the player who came up with the ball, which is often a wing and is a separate tap. The app keeps faceoffs won, lost, and the percentage for each player and for the team.

Common mistakes

• Giving the faceoff player a ground ball automatically. The win is his; the ground ball goes to whoever controlled the loose ball.
• Skipping lost faceoffs. The percentage is meaningless without them.
• Recording the result for the wing who scooped it. The faceoff belongs to the player who took it.
• Waiting to see if the possession leads to anything. The result is settled when a team has the ball.
• Leaving out a faceoff that ended on a violation. Possession was awarded, so the faceoff was won and lost like any other.

Where it shows up

Faceoff wins are the FOW column on boys season leaderboards and on each game's public box score. Faceoff percentage appears on the team's season stat table for the team's staff and in the app's season stats.

Related stats

• Ground ball: the scoop that follows every faceoff.
• Draw control: the girls lacrosse equivalent.