So, how many players are on a lacrosse field at once?
There are 10 lacrosse players on the field for each team, so there are 20 total players on the field at once.
There are usually 3 attackmen, 3 midfielders, 3 defensemen, and 1 goalie on the field for each team. You can read more about each lacrosse position in detail here.
When a player from a team commits a penalty, the player must sit out in the penalty box, and his or her team must play with 9 players while they are in the penalty box. This gives the opposing team an advantage, since they have 10 players against 9.
Playing with one less player is called playing “man down,” and it lasts anywhere between 30 seconds and 2 minutes, depending on the severity of the penalty.
Multiple players from a single team can commit a penalty and sit in the penalty box, so you might see a team playing with two men down, but this is less common.
For more information about the rules of lacrosse, check out our lacrosse rules page.