Section 6: Scoring
- Goal: ball wholly crosses goal line between posts, propelled from inside the shooting circle by an attacking player's stick
- Goal from outside the circle = no goal
- Most goals at end of regulation/OT/shootout wins
Section 6: Scoring
Field Hockey (NCAA)
🏛️Official — NCAA
How does scoring work in Field Hockey?
Verdict
Goal: ball wholly crosses goal line between posts, propelled from inside the shooting circle by an attacking player's stick; Goal from outside the circle = no goal; Most goals at end of regulation/OT/shootout wins
Why people argue about this
People often assume that a goal is scored if the ball even touches the post or crossbar before crossing the goal line, which isn't true according to NCAA rules. The confusion arises because they overlook the crucial part: the ball must wholly cross between the posts and be propelled by an attacking player's stick from inside the shooting circle for it to count as a score.
Send this to your friend — argument over.
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Rules sourced from NCAA Field Hockey Rules of the Game · Governed by NCAA · Last verified: May 2026