Can You Kick the Ball in Lacrosse? The Rule Explained

Yes, you can kick the ball in men’s lacrosse, and a kicked ball can legally go in for a goal. Kicking a loose ball on the ground is a normal, legal play, and if a kicked ball crosses the goal line, it counts. Women’s lacrosse is more restrictive: kicking a loose ball is allowed in limited situations, but the women’s game does not treat a kicked goal the same way the men’s game does. In no version can you kick the ball while it sits in another player’s stick, and you can never kick an opponent.

So the honest one-line answer: in men’s lacrosse, kick away on loose balls, and yes, you can score with your foot.

Kicking in men’s lacrosse

Under both NCAA and NFHS men’s rules, a player may kick a loose ball. This comes up more than newcomers expect. When a ground ball is bouncing awkwardly, sitting under a scrum of sticks, or rolling faster than you can scoop, kicking it to a teammate or toward open space is a legitimate way to keep the play alive. It is not a trick or a loophole; it is written into the rules.

There are limits. You cannot kick, or attempt to kick, the ball while it is in an opponent’s crosse, and you obviously cannot kick a player. You also cannot use your foot to hold or trap the ball indefinitely; the ball has to stay in play. But a clean kick of a genuinely loose ball is always legal.

Can you actually score by kicking it?

Yes, and it happens. In men’s lacrosse a ball that is kicked into the goal counts as a legal goal, the same as a shot from a stick. Picture a shot that rebounds off the goalie’s pads and drops in the crease crowd. An attackman who kicks that loose ball across the goal line has scored a legal goal.

The main caveat is the crease and dangerous or deliberate contact rules near the net, plus the general principle that you cannot kick the ball out of a defender’s stick to create the chance. But a loose ball kicked into the net is on the scoreboard.

Men’s vs women’s kicking rules

The two codes diverge here, and the difference matters if you are moving between them.

Rule	Men’s lacrosse	Women’s lacrosse
Kick a loose ground ball	Legal	Allowed in limited situations
Score a goal directly off a kick	Legal	Not treated the same; restricted
Kick the ball in an opponent’s stick	Illegal	Illegal
Kick or contact an opponent	Illegal	Illegal
Goalie kicking the ball	Legal, in and out of the crease	Allowed within goalkeeper privileges
Overall emphasis	Physical, kicking is a routine tool	Stick-focused, kicking is a fallback

The pattern reflects the two games’ philosophies. Men’s field lacrosse is a contact sport where kicking a loose ball is just another tool. The women’s game is built around controlled stick play and limited contact, so kicking exists but is not a core tactic, and officials watch it closely for safety. If you want the fuller picture of how differently the two codes police physical play, our explainer on cross-checking in lacrosse shows the same men’s-versus-women’s split on contact rules.

Where kicking actually helps

The practical value of kicking is in the ground-ball scramble. A ball you cannot scoop cleanly, because a defender has a body on you or the bounce is wrong, can still be advanced or kept alive with a kick. Skilled players use a quick kick to nudge a loose ball toward a teammate or into space, then scoop it a step later without a defender draped on them.

This is why kicking and ground balls are the same skill in disguise. The best loose-ball players know when the scoop is on and when a kick buys them a better angle. The faceoff lacrosse heads built for the draw exist precisely because the center faceoff is the biggest loose-ball fight in the game, and the two together are how transitions get won.

The goalie’s kicking privileges

The goalie is the one player with extra room to use his feet. Inside the crease, a keeper can kick, block, and play the ball with his body and stick freely, which is essential for clearing rebounds out of a crowded crease. Once he carries the ball out of the crease and becomes a field player, though, he plays under the same kicking rules as everyone else: loose balls only, never out of an opponent’s stick.

The bottom line

Kicking in lacrosse is legal, useful, and, in the men’s game, capable of scoring. Treat it as a supporting skill to your stick work rather than a first option: scoop when you can, kick when the scoop is not there. Learn the loose-ball rules alongside the rest of the code, and you will stop being surprised when a scrappy kicked goal counts. New to the men’s game? Pair this with our rundown of lacrosse drills for beginners so your feet and your stick work together on every loose ball.

Freshness note: kicking and loose-ball rules are stable in the NCAA, NFHS, and World Lacrosse codes; women’s rules on kicking and scoring are the most likely to be reworded, so re-check the current women’s rulebook each season.