NFHS/USAL Rule 9: Excerpt from "Girls Lacrosse for Beginners 2025"
12/30/2024
Rule 9 Minor Fouls
There are eighteen minor fouls listed in Rule 9. All of these fouls cannot be covered in this section. You should think of a minor foul as a procedural and/or a ball handling foul.
Two Minor Fouls are most often called – Covering and Empty Stick Check. ILLEGAL Covering occurs when a ground ball is covered in order to prevent an opponent within playing distance from playing the ball. The ball may be legally covered when there is not an opponent with playing distance. Goalkeepers may be called for illegally covering the ball by reaching outside the Goal Circle.
An Empty Stick Check occurs when a player checks or hits a stick that is not in contact with the ball in order to prevent or impede the opponent from gaining possession of the ball. Minor Fouls are penalized at the spot of the foul with the offending player going four meters away.
Penalties for Minor Fouls committed by the defending team within the CSA above the GLE are administered on the 12m fan. In this instance a lane, which is the width of the goal circle, is cleared and players must go 4m away – including the player who committed the foul. Play is restarted with a whistle.
New for 2025 is the elimination of the Indirect Free Position for Minor Fouls on the defense inside the CSA. This change means that the person who is awarded the free position may shoot.
Delay of Game fouls have a specific carding progression – Green, Green/Yellow, Yellow. The Green Card by itself is administered as a Minor Foul. The second delay is a Green/Yellow card and is administered as a Major Foul and card with the exception that the card does not add to the player or team card count. The third delay and following is a Yellow Card as is administered as such.
Delay of Game is a Point of Emphasis for 2025. Players who do not attempt to give the required distance for a penalty (4m away or behind) or players who do not give the required distance (2m) in a boundary violation are to receive a Delay of Game card.