Field lacrosse offensive purpose while controlling the ball, the possessing team must keep the ball within the offensive restraining box to avoid a loss-of-possession penalty. Field markings dictate player positioning during a face-off. A face-off is how play is started at the beginning of each quarter and after each goal. During a face-off, there are six players (without considering goalkeepers) in each of the areas defined by the restraining lines. Three midfielders from each team occupy the midfield area, while three attackmen and three of the opposing team's defensemen occupy each offensive area. These players must stay in these areas until possession
Goaltender (box lacrosse) on the floor. Such a play is called a "crease dive". Occasionally, a box lacrosse goaltender will run up and join the play in the offensive zone on a slow whistle or delayed penalty, but the goaltender is usually pulled and substituted with a field player. Goaltenders in box lacrosse are known to sometimes score goals for their team, in power play or slow whistle situations. Also, due to the unique lack of offside rules in box lacrosse, it is not unheard of to see a goaltender lead his team in scoring on game sheets through multiple assists, usually through