Foul (FL)

What counts as a foul

A foul in girls lacrosse is a rule violation the official calls on a player: shooting space, three seconds, a dangerous shot, an empty stick check, a slash, a check to the head, and the rest of the list in the rulebook. Fouls do not send a player off for a set time the way boys lacrosse penalties do. Instead the official awards a free position, and a major foul inside the 8-meter arc gives the attacker a free position shot at the goal.

Fouls are charged to the player who committed them, and the count matters two ways. Each major foul in the arc hands the other team one of the best scoring chances in the game, and a player who piles up fouls is a card waiting to happen.

How SquadProfile records it

Tap the player, then tap Foul, then pick the type. The app keeps a count of fouls by player and for the team. When the foul gives the other team an 8-meter free position, start that situation as well so the shot that follows is tagged. Cards are not tracked in the app yet; keep those in your own notes for now.

Common mistakes

• Recording the foul on the player who was fouled. It belongs to the player who committed it.
• Recording a major foul in the arc and skipping the 8-meter situation. The foul count is right, but the free position never shows up.
• Looking for a timed penalty. Girls lacrosse records fouls, not penalty minutes.

Where it shows up

Fouls do not have a column on the public leaderboards or box scores. They appear in the app, in each player's game and season stats and in the team's totals.

Related stats

• 8-meter free position: what a major foul in the arc awards.
• Penalty: the boys lacrosse infraction.