College coaches evaluate lacrosse recruits based on specific skills relevant to each position. When building your pinned playlist, use the skill tags below to highlight the skills coaches want to see most. Below, we outline the different skills college coaches are looking for in men's lacrosse.

Men's Lacrosse Skills in Pinned Playlist:

• 1v1 Offense

• 1v1 Defense

• Transition Plays

• Off Ball Plays

• Help Defense

• Goals

• Passing

• Assists

• Ground Balls

• Clearing

• Face Offs

• Saves

• Dodging

• Riding

• Checking

• Interceptions

• Other

If you think something is missing or need assistance, submit a form here:  🔗 Form Link → 

⭐ Tip: If a clip contains multiple skills or covers an extended play, use multiple tags so college coaches can evaluate it accurately. For example, a successful dodge leading to a goal should be tagged with both "1v1 Offense" and "Goals."

Attack

Attackmen serve as the primary scorers and playmakers for the offense. Coaches evaluate attackmen on their ability to create scoring opportunities both with and without the ball.

• 1v1 Offense
  • Demonstrate your ability to beat defenders in isolation situations. Include clips showing different dodge types and directions, displaying your versatility in creating scoring opportunities. Examples should include successful dodges from X, wing, and up top positions.
• Goals
  • Showcase your shooting ability with a variety of shot types and situations. Include both assisted and unassisted goals, demonstrating your ability to finish in different scenarios. Make sure to show goals scored under defensive pressure as well as time-and-room shots.
• Dodging
  • Showcase different dodge types such as split dodge, roll dodge, and question mark dodge. Display your ability to create separation from defenders and generate offensive opportunities.
• Passing & Assists
  • Display your playmaking ability with feeds and assists. Include clips showing field vision and the ability to find open teammates. Demonstrate both short-range feeds and longer clearing passes when riding.
• Riding
  • Show your ability to pressure defenders and disrupt clearing attempts. Demonstrate footwork, stick positioning, and the ability to force turnovers in the offensive zone.
• Off Ball Plays
  • Show your understanding of offensive movement without the ball. Include clips of successful cuts leading to goals, creating space for teammates, and effective riding to prevent clears.
• Ground Balls
  • Demonstrate your ability to gain possession in contested situations. Include ground balls around the crease and during rides. Show proper technique and the ability to quickly transition to offense.

Midfield

Midfielders need to excel in both offensive and defensive situations. Coaches look for players who can impact the game in transition and contribute on both ends of the field.

• Transition Plays
  • Show your ability to push the ball in transition and make good decisions on the run. Include both offensive and defensive transition situations, demonstrating your conditioning and field awareness.
• 1v1 Offense
  • Display your dodging ability from up top and on the wings. Show diverse dodge types and the ability to create scoring opportunities for yourself and teammates.
• Goals
  • Showcase your shooting ability with a variety of shot types and situations. Include both assisted and unassisted goals, demonstrating your ability to finish in different scenarios. Make sure to show goals scored under defensive pressure as well as time-and-room shots.
• 1v1 Defense
  • Demonstrate your ability to guard offensive players in isolation. Show proper defensive positioning, footwork, and successful on-ball defense leading to turnovers or failed offensive possessions.
• Checking
  • Display proper stick-checking techniques such as poke checks, lift checks, and slap checks. Show effectiveness in disrupting offensive players without overcommitting.
• Passing & Assists
  • Display your playmaking ability with feeds and assists. Include clips showing field vision and the ability to find open teammates. Demonstrate both short-range feeds and longer clearing passes when riding.
• Riding
  • Show your ability to pressure defenders and disrupt clearing attempts. Demonstrate footwork, stick positioning, and the ability to force turnovers in the offensive zone.
• Help Defense
  • Include clips showing proper sliding technique and recovery. Demonstrate your understanding of team defense concepts and communication.
• Face Offs
  • For face-off specialists, show various moves and counter moves. Include both clean wins and scrappy ground ball wins. Demonstrate your ability to either create fast break opportunities or effectively possess the ball after wins.
• Interceptions
  • Demonstrate your ability to anticipate passes and cut off passing lanes. Show successful interceptions that lead to transition opportunities.
• Ground Balls
  • Display hustle and proper technique in retrieving loose balls. Include ground balls in traffic and in the open field, showing your ability to quickly transition after gaining possession.

Defense

Defenders must demonstrate both individual defensive skills and team defense concepts. Coaches evaluate defenders on their ability to prevent scoring opportunities and initiate transition offense.

• 1v1 Defense
  • Show your ability to guard attackmen in isolation situations. Include clips demonstrating proper defensive positioning, footwork, and successful checks leading to turnovers.
• Help Defense
  • Display your understanding of team defense through proper sliding and recovery. Show communication with teammates and ability to defend multiple offensive players in sequence.
• Checking
  • Display proper stick-checking techniques such as poke checks, lift checks, and slap checks. Show effectiveness in disrupting offensive players without overcommitting.
• Interceptions
  • Demonstrate your ability to anticipate passes and cut off passing lanes. Show successful interceptions that lead to transition opportunities.
• Clearing
  • Show your ability to advance the ball after saves or turnovers. Include both short outlet passes and longer clearing attempts under pressure.
• Ground Balls
  • Gain possession using proper technique and physicality. This includes ground balls in traffic and successful clear attempts after securing possession.

Goalie

Goalies must demonstrate save ability, communication skills, and clearing ability. Coaches evaluate goalies on both their shot-stopping and their ability to initiate transition offense.

• Saves
  • Show saves from various shot locations and types. Include both reaction saves and positional saves, demonstrating your technique and athleticism.
• Clearing
  • Display your ability to start transition offense after saves. Show both short outlet passes and longer clearing attempts, demonstrating decision-making under pressure.
• Help Defense
  • Demonstrate your ability to direct the defense and communicate. Include clips showing defensive organization and successful defensive possessions.

SSDM/LSM (Specialized Defensive Midfielders)

These defensive specialists must excel in transition play and individual defense while contributing to the clearing game.

• 1v1 Defense
  • Show your ability to guard offensive players in space. Include clips demonstrating proper positioning and successful defense against various dodge types.
• Transition Plays
  • Display your ability to push transition offense after causing turnovers. Show decision-making in the clearing game and ability to create offensive opportunities.
• Interceptions
  • Demonstrate your ability to anticipate passes and cut off passing lanes. Show successful interceptions that lead to transition opportunities.
• Checking
  • Display proper stick-checking techniques such as poke checks, lift checks, and slap checks. Show effectiveness in disrupting offensive players without overcommitting.
• Clearing
  • Demonstrate your ability to move the ball up the field quickly and efficiently. Show both individual clears and passing options under pressure.
• Ground Balls
  • Show your ability to gain possession in various situations. Include wing play on face-offs and loose ball situations in transition.

After learning what coaches are looking for with your specific position, it’s time to start creating your pinned playlist. Check out our article, “Building and Publishing Pinned Playlists,” to get started!