HARROGATE, Tenn. – The inaugural season of the LMU field hockey program begins this fall with an 18-game slate. Before the games can be properly enjoyed, some background on the terminology and rules of field hockey is needed. What follows is basic information about how the game of field hockey is played.

The pitch, or field, is 100 yards long by 60 yards wide, with lines marking every 25 yards and circles at 16 yards outside each net to indicate the only area on the field in which goals can be scored. A field hockey game is 60 minutes long, broken down into four 15 minute quarters with a running clock throughout the game. The clock stops for timeouts, penalty corners, and penalty strokes. If a game goes into overtime, there are two 10 minute overtime periods of golden goal play, with a shootout if necessary.

Field hockey teams have 11 players on the pitch. Those 11 players are either one goalkeeper and 10 in the field or just 11 field players. The field players are a combination of forwards, players who play on the offensive 50 yards of the pitch, midfielders, who play both offense and defense, and defenders, who are only allowed to play on the defensive 50 yards of the field.

Two umpires oversee each match and call fouls and penalties. Fouls are called for minor infractions, such as touching the ball with something other than the flat side of the stick. Fouls result in a loss of possession. Penalties occur when a player commits a dangerous play, such as excessive contact with another player or back tackling. Penalties result in a turnover and a card given to the offending player by an umpire.

There are three types of cards given out to players: green, yellow, and red. If a player receives a green card, they must sit out for two minutes. If given a yellow card, that player is out for 5-10 minutes, depending on how egregious the umpire thinks the penalty was. A player can also receive a red card, which results in immediate ejection for the current game and the game following. If a player is sitting out or ejected due to a penalty, that team cannot replace them and must play short-handed.

The Lady Railsplitters' first time taking the field will be an exhibition match on August 28^th on the road in Virginia against Ferrum College. The first home contest is September 17^th versus Converse College.

How to Follow
Stay tuned to LMURailsplitters.com, as well as LMU's social media platforms - @LMURailsplitter on Twitter, @LMURailsplitters on Facebook and @lmurailsplitters on Instagram, for complete coverage of Railsplitter field hockey leading up to the 2021 season.