NCAA Men's Rule Changes Announced for 2005 Season

Release: September 9, 2004

The NCAA Men's Lacrosse Rules Committee, chaired by former North Carolina coach Willie Scroggs, has announced the rule changes that will be implemented for the 2005 season.

There are several changes, including a change in the face-off mechanic. The ball will be placed in the center of a four-inch line at the midfield and the crosses of the players will rest on the ground along the edge of the center line, but will not be allowed to touch the line.

Another change is that teams will now have only 20 seconds to get the ball across midfield from their own end of the field. The clearing team will be allowed to go in and out of its defensive box, but there will be a count until the ball crosses midfield.

An experimental rule that schools will be encouraged to use in the fall is for a "slow whistle" on penalty situations. When a flag is thrown, play shall not be stopped unless the ball leaves the offensive end of the field, the non-penalized team scores or the penalized team gains possession of the ball.

Detailed descriptions of the rules changes can be viewed here (PDF).

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