Forum Answers

SLOA Forum Answers

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General
NCAA
NFHS
Youth

General:

Q. Team A is clearing the ball. While riding, Team B goes offsides. During the slow whistle flag down, you notice that Team A is also offsides. What is the procedure?

A. Simultaneous technical fouls. Kill the play, have both teams take an extra player off the field, and resume play with the team that was in possession or entitled to possession. If the ball is loose when play is stopped, use AP to determine possession. NEITHER TEAM will serve penalty time. NCAA Rule 6. Section A. B1. C2.

Q. What is the call when a defender’s stick breaks while checking the offensive player, and then the defender checks the offensive player again with the broken stick?

A. Illegal procedure for playing with a broken crosse. NCAA Rule 6. AR24. However, if you believe a defender is intentionally checking a player with a broken stick with the intent to do bodily harm, then you can stop play and assess an unsportsmanlike conduct foul.

Q. Are players allowed to have two mouth pieces, wearing one and keeping the other on the outside of their helmet?

A. Neither Federation or NCAA rules prohibit a player from having two mouthpieces. However, officials may have the player remove one mouthpiece so that play is not stopped inadvertently for an equipment violation.

Q. What is the correct procedure for signaling a goal? How do you handle hat if your not sure if it’s inside or outside the goal? What if you stop play for a goal but the ball is outside the net?

A. Once you are sure that a loose ball has crossed the goal line, immediate whistle to stop play. You may then:

Put both hands up to signal goal, jog into the crease, collect the ball, while keeping your eyes on both teams.
Jog into the crease, face up field and put both hands up to signal goal, collect the ball, while keeping your eyes on both teams.
If you blow your whistle inadvertently to stop play for a shot that is not a goal: Signal loudly and clearly that there is no goal, make sure both teams are set, and restart play with the goalie. NCAA Rule 7.13.

Q. Should you have the coach certify that all players are legally equipped for tournament games?

A. Yes. NCAA Rule 1.22, NFHS Rule 1-11.

Q. What do you call when the stick head or mesh of two players get tangled together on the faceoff?

A. Redo the faceoff. If there is a quick possession by either team and the sticks are stuck together than stop play and keep the ball with the team in possession.

Q. If a slash or a one handed-check strikes the helmet, head and/or neck area of a player, should it be flagged as a 1, 2, or 3 minute unreleasable penalty?

A. No. A blow, or strike with the crosse to the face, head, or neck (standard slash) is still typically always a one-minute releasable personal foul. Illegal body checks or cross checks to the head and neck are to be assessed as one-minute (indirect contact), two-minute (direct contact), or three-minute (flagrant or excessive contact) non-releasable fouls.

Q. If coaches from both teams agree and are ready to start a game before the actual start time, is that allowed? Ex: Start time is 4:00 but both teams are ready to go by 3:50.

A. Yes, if both coaches mutually agree the officials may start the game early at a mutually agreed time for all of or clients.

Q. As the goal official, you have a flag down and a goal is scored. What is the proper sequence after blowing your whistle?

A. Signal goal first. If it’s a technical foul, then the foul is wiped out by the goal. If it’s a personal foul, adjudicate the foul or relay the information to the official closest to the penalty area. If the foul was a dead-ball foul, no faceoff. Otherwise there will be a man-down faceoff. There is no mechanic as to when you retrieve your flag, retrieve it in the most efficient way.

Q. If a shot goes out of bounds on the endline and a timeout is called, where does the ball restart under NCAA rules and under NFHS rules? What if a timeout is called below the restraining line?

A. If a shot goes out of bounds on the end line and either team takes a timeout, in both NCAA rules AND NFHS rules, play will restart where the ball went out. If a timeout is called below the restraining line during a live ball, in both NCAA rules AND NFHS rules, play will restart outside the box in the alley. NCAA Rule 4.27 AR 105, NFHS Rule 4-26.

Q. While Team A is in possession of the ball, Team B is in penalty box and releases early. What is the correct sequence for enforcing the Illegal Procedure foul? How do you enforce the foul if a goal is scored? Is there any difference based on NCAA and NFHS rules?

A. If on defense, the player shall be returned to the penalty area to serve his remaining time, plus 30 seconds. If the ball is loose or in the possession of the player’s own team, it shall be awarded to the opposing team and the player leaving the penalty area early must serve the remaining time but does not have to serve an additional 30 seconds.; In the event that a goal is scored by the opponent, the unexpired penalty time is nullified and the 30-second penalty is erased. If the original penalty was non-releasable, the player will serve the remaining time but no additional 30-second penalty is assessed. This is the same for NCAA and NFHS. NCAA Rule 6.6e.

Q. If the goalie is passing ball while inside the crease and hits an opposing team’s stick outside the plane of the crease, is that Interference?

A. Yes, Interference and play-on. The goalkeeper, while clearing from the crease, has protection on passes for a clear, regardless of whether the attack player moves their crosse. Play continues or award the ball to Team B on its offensive side of the field. NCAA Rule 4.20f A.R. 70

NCAA:

Q. How do you proceed in overtime if a faceoff violation occurs during the final faceoff of the fourth quarter?

A. The player who had a violation may NOT take the first faceoff of overtime. (This is not clarified in the NCAA 2025 Rulebook)

Q. What happens if the shot clock doesn’t start after a faceoff or after a dead ball?

A. If the shot clock does not start within five (5) seconds of the official signaling the start of play, stop play and reset the clock. NCAA Rule 2.12c.

Q. If a defender commits a foul and the defender loses his helmet in the process of committing that foul, is there a a second 30 second foul added for loss of helmet?

A. Yes. Flag down for the original infraction and blow the whistle to stop play as soon as the defender’s helmet comes off. An additional 30 second technical foul for Illegal Procedure will be added. NCAA Rule 6-6aa.

Q. A1 and B1 are going for a loose ball when B1 pushes A1. While a play on is in progress, A1’s helmet comes off (Note the contact on the push was not severe enough to dislodge a properly equipped helmet).

A. Simultaneous technical fouls – B1 pushes A1 (play-on), which entitles A1 possession. A1 losing his helmet is a technical foul which kills play. NCAA Rule 7-6a. Award the ball to Team A. NCAA Rule 7-6c2a. A1 lost his helmet so he must leave the field. NCAA Rule 6-6aa.

Q. Team A is in position of the ball with 40 seconds on the shot clock. Team B deflects the ball over the midline. Team A picks up the ball and retains possession in their defensive half. Does the the shot clock reset?

A. No, the shot clock does not reset. In this case, the offense is under no obligation to clear the ball over the midline, but once the ball is advanced over the midline, over and back is an effect. NCAA Rule 4-16b2.

Q. If the goalkeeper commits a time serving technical foul or a personal foul, does he serve the penalty or does the in home serve?

A. If the goalkeeper commits a technical or personal foul, the goalkeeper shall serve the penalty time. A legally equipped substitute goalkeeper shall report into the game. NCAA Rule 6.6u, A.R. 36.

Q. On a faceoff, player A delays going down into position with his opponent on the command “Down”. Is this a faceoff violation?

A. Warn both players at the next faceoff to go down together. If either player A or player B delays going down into the faceoff position, stand them up, signal delay of game and award the ball to the team entitled to possession. This is NOT a faceoff violation. NCAA Rule 4-4f.

Q. What is the penalty for an illegal stick?

A. SECTION 9. A player may not use a crosse that does not conform to required specifications. Use of an illegal crosse carries a one- or three-minute nonreleasable penalty. A crosse found illegal due to a deep pocket will carry a one-minute non-releasable penalty and the crosse may be returned if corrected. A player using a crosse found to be illegal for any other reason will receive a three-minute non-releasable penalty, and the illegal crosse will remain in the table area for the remainder of the game. Every crosse on a team is subject to inspection, and the crosse need not have been in the game to be inspected. NCAA Rule 5-9.

NFHS:

Q. What happens when a helmet comes off during a Federation game?

A. Stop play immediately, the team in possession keeps the ball. The player who’s helmet came off must leave the field of play until the next stoppage of play. No foul on either team.

Q. Can a coach call a timeout if a player’s helmet gets removed during play instead of removing them from play?

A. No. A timeout during a deadball does not permit a player whose helmet came off to remain in the game. However, as soon as play is resumed and time goes off the clock, a team may call a timeout, allowing that player to return to the game.

Q. Two players are going for a loose ball, when one player illegally body checks the other in the head. What is the correct way to adjudicate the foul?

A. Flag down and whistle to stop play immediately. Assess a penalty for an illegal body-check either 1-minute (indirect contact), 2-minute (direct contact), or 3-minute (flagrant or targeting) that is non-releasable. NFHS Rule 7.3, Situation A (b).

Youth:

Q. After play has started, can an offensive team come together, one player with the ball and then disburse hoping to confuse the defense as to who has the ball?

A. Yes legal play, once play has been restarted, there is no rule that states otherwise. There may be no player within five yards of the ball on the restart.