NCAA Division I men's lacrosse teams average 46.2 goals per season per team. Save percentages reach 56.2 percent while top face off performers finish at 68.5 percent. Championship totals and attendance figures supply further detail across multiple levels of the sport.
Key Takeaways
- NCAA Division I men's lacrosse teams averaged 46.2 goals per season per team in 2023
- Syracuse University men's lacrosse won 12 NCAA championships through 2023
- In 2023, Maryland women's lacrosse scored 278 goals in NCAA D1 season
- First organized lacrosse game played in 1867 between Montreal teams
- Longest lacrosse game lasted 7 hours 20 minutes in 1984 college overtime
- Gary Gait scored 11 goals in a single NLL game record set in 1999
- World Lacrosse had 89 member nations as of 2023
- Australia won 2023 World Lacrosse Men's Championship 14-9 over Haudenosaunee
- Canada defeated US 12-8 in 2023 World Lacrosse Women's Championship final
- In 2023, there were 113,313 high school boys playing lacrosse in the US
- High school girls lacrosse participation reached 102,428 players in the US for the 2022-23 school year
- US Lacrosse membership grew to 850,000 total participants including youth and adults in 2023
- Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) averaged 18,500 fans per game in 2023 season
- PLL MVP Tom Schreiber scored 42 points in 2023 regular season
- National Lacrosse League (NLL) saw Buffalo Bandits win 2023 Champions Cup
Duke’s 2023 dominance shaped a record year, from elite face offs to soaring goals and attendance.
Related reading
01 · Category
College Stats19 stats
01
NCAA Division I men's lacrosse teams averaged 46.2 goals per season per team in 2023
02
Syracuse University men's lacrosse won 12 NCAA championships through 2023
03
In 2023, Maryland women's lacrosse scored 278 goals in NCAA D1 season
04
Average attendance for NCAA D1 men's lacrosse finals was 15,000 in 2023
05
Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse holds 44 NCAA tournament appearances record
06
Boston College women's lacrosse had a .750 win percentage in ACC play 2015-2023
07
NCAA D1 men's lacrosse face-off win percentage leader 2023 was 68.5% by Duke
08
North Carolina women's lacrosse won 7 ACC titles from 2017-2023
09
Average NCAA D1 men's lacrosse save percentage was 56.2% in 2023
10
Virginia men's lacrosse captured 9 NCAA championships as of 2023
11
NCAA D1 women's lacrosse caused turnovers averaged 18.4 per game in 2023
12
Army men's lacrosse boasts 12 Patriot League titles since 2000
13
Northwestern women's lacrosse won 8 NCAA titles from 2005-2023
14
Loyola Maryland men's team had 15.2 shots on goal per game in 2023
15
UMass Lowell women's lacrosse led America East with 12.1 ground balls per game 2023
16
Cornell men's lacrosse recorded 214 assists in Ivy League record 2023
17
Stony Brook women's lacrosse had 62% clear percentage in 2023 season
18
Denver men's lacrosse won first NCAA title in 2023 with 43% face-off win rate
19
Syracuse women's lacrosse averaged 17.8 draws won per game in 2023
Interpretation
College Stats Interpretation
Despite a dizzying array of statistics that crown champions, define eras, and track every ground ball, the cold, hard truth of lacrosse remains: you can win a title with a mediocre face-off rate like Denver, but you'll never survive without someone, somewhere, making a save roughly 56% of the time.
02 · Category
Historical Records18 stats
01
First organized lacrosse game played in 1867 between Montreal teams
02
Longest lacrosse game lasted 7 hours 20 minutes in 1984 college overtime
03
Gary Gait scored 11 goals in a single NLL game record set in 1999
04
NCAA men's lacrosse single-game goals record is 26 by Army vs. Navy 1946
05
Women's lacrosse oldest trophy is the Wingate Memorial since 1931
06
Montreal Shamrocks won first Mann Cup in 1901 for senior men's box lacrosse
07
US won first international lacrosse tournament in 1982 with 14-7 over Canada
08
Jim Brown scored 43 goals in 10 college games for Syracuse 1954-55
09
First women's college game played in 1921 between Sweet Briar and St. Catherine's
10
NLL founded in 1987 with 6 teams initially
11
Iroquois Nationals first competed in 1990 World Lacrosse Championship
12
NCAA men's lacrosse championship began in 1971 won by Cornell
13
Charlotte Smith set women's single-game assists record 9 in 1995
14
MLL (PLL predecessor) founded 2001 with 8 teams first season
15
World Lacrosse Championship first held 1967 in Toronto, Canada won
16
Johns Hopkins won first 29 NCAA men's titles from 1979-2007 streak end
17
Native American creator of lacrosse myth dates to 12th century oral history
18
PLL founded 2018 by Paul Rabil with $25M investment
Interpretation
Historical Records Interpretation
While the spirit of the game stretches back to 12th century myth, its modern history is a thrilling record of extremes, from seven-hour marathons and 11-goal nights to foundational trophies and rebel leagues, all proving that lacrosse, in every form, is played with a relentless and historic passion.
03 · Category
International Stats20 stats
01
World Lacrosse had 89 member nations as of 2023
02
Australia won 2023 World Lacrosse Men's Championship 14-9 over Haudenosaunee
03
Canada defeated US 12-8 in 2023 World Lacrosse Women's Championship final
04
England men's team ranked 5th globally after 2023 Worlds quarterfinals
05
Japan women's lacrosse grew 40% participants since 2018 to 2023
06
Iroquois Nationals hold silver medal from 2023 World Championships
07
Germany lacrosse federation has 4,500 members in 2023
08
FIL (now World Lacrosse) founded 2008 merger of men's and women's federations
09
New Zealand men's team competed in 2023 Worlds placing 12th
10
Philippines lacrosse association registered 2,000 players in 2023
11
Sweden women's team ranked 10th in world after 2023 tournament
12
Hong Kong hosted Asia-Pacific Lacrosse Championship 2022 with 8 nations
13
Ireland men's lacrosse scored 45 goals at 2023 Worlds
14
World Lacrosse Sixes debuted 2022 with 28 men's and 24 women's teams
15
Czech Republic lacrosse players number 1,200 in 2023
16
2024 World Championships in Utah expect 50 nations combined
17
Jamaica women's team made debut at 2023 Worlds scoring 22 goals total
18
World Lacrosse invested $5M in global development 2020-2023
19
South Korea men ranked 15th globally with 3 wins in regional play 2023
20
Lacrosse ball weighs 140-150 grams per NCAA rule
Interpretation
International Stats Interpretation
While the traditional powers still duel for gold, the true victory for lacrosse is a globe now speckled with everything from Japan's explosive growth and Germany's thousands of club members to Jamaica's spirited debut and the Philippines' two thousand new players, proving the sport's ancient roots are finally weaving a modern, worldwide tapestry.
More related reading
04 · Category
Participation Stats20 stats
01
In 2023, there were 113,313 high school boys playing lacrosse in the US
02
High school girls lacrosse participation reached 102,428 players in the US for the 2022-23 school year
03
US Lacrosse membership grew to 850,000 total participants including youth and adults in 2023
04
Youth lacrosse players under 14 numbered 285,000 in the US in 2022
05
Lacrosse ranked as the fastest-growing sport for girls in the US for 12 consecutive years through 2023
06
Over 3,500 high schools in the US offer boys lacrosse programs as of 2023
07
Adult lacrosse participation in the US stands at 150,000 recreational players annually
08
Lacrosse is played in 80 countries worldwide with 2.5 million participants globally in 2023
09
In Canada, 85,000 players participate in box lacrosse annually
10
US women's college lacrosse programs number 117 at NCAA Division I level in 2023
11
Boys youth box lacrosse leagues in Canada have over 40,000 registrants under 18
12
Lacrosse participation among US girls aged 6-17 increased 65% from 2013 to 2023
13
There are 2,800 youth lacrosse clubs registered with US Lacrosse in 2023
14
High school lacrosse teams in the US totaled 3,281 for boys in 2022-23
15
Global lacrosse equipment sales reached 250,000 units in 2022
16
In Australia, 25,000 players engage in lacrosse across all levels in 2023
17
US Lacrosse Magazine reports 90,000 college club players nationwide
18
England has 12,000 registered lacrosse players in 2023
19
Native American lacrosse participation exceeds 50,000 in Iroquois communities
20
Overall US lacrosse participation hit 1.1 million across all ages in 2023
Interpretation
Participation Stats Interpretation
Lacrosse is no longer just a niche sport but a burgeoning national pastime, with over a million Americans now wielding sticks from youth leagues to adult rec games, while globally it's stitching together a vibrant community of 2.5 million players across 80 countries.
05 · Category
Professional Stats21 stats
01
Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) averaged 18,500 fans per game in 2023 season
02
PLL MVP Tom Schreiber scored 42 points in 2023 regular season
03
National Lacrosse League (NLL) saw Buffalo Bandits win 2023 Champions Cup
04
PLL goalie scoring leader Blaze Riorden had 210 saves in 2023
05
NLL leading scorer Rob Maroon netted 116 points in 2022-23 season
06
PLL attendance total reached 250,000 across 14 weekends in 2023
07
NLL Halifax Thunderbirds blocked 1,200 shots league-wide in 2022-23
08
PLL Atlas LC won 2023 PLL Championship 13-10 over Chaos
09
NLL average game attendance was 8,912 in 2022-23 season
10
PLL face-off specialist TD Ierlan won 68% of draws in 2023
11
NLL Georgia Swarm led league with 245 assists in 2022-23
12
PLL Chrome LC scored 198 goals in 2023 regular season
13
NLL Toronto Rock had 62% power play efficiency in playoffs 2023
14
Major League Lacrosse (predecessor to PLL) had 10 teams before 2020 merger
15
PLL broadcast on NBC reached 2 million viewers in 2023
16
NLL Colorado Mammoth goaltender had .782 save percentage in 2023
17
PLL Waterdogs LC blocked 450 shots in 2023 season
18
NLL Saskatchewan Rush forced 900 turnovers in 2022-23
19
PLL average shots per game was 92.4 in 2023
20
Paul Rabil holds PLL single-season points record with 50 in 2022
21
NLL all-time leading scorer is John Grant Jr. with 1,165 goals
Interpretation
Professional Stats Interpretation
While the PLL's 18,500 fans per game and 2 million NBC viewers showcase lacrosse's growing mainstream appeal, the NLL's gritty, high-scoring indoor battles—like Rob Maroon's 116 points or 1,200 blocked shots—prove the sport's heart still beats in the box.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Margot Villeneuve. (2026, February 27). Lacrosse Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lacrosse-statistics
MLA
Margot Villeneuve. "Lacrosse Statistics." Gitnux, 27 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/lacrosse-statistics.
Chicago
Margot Villeneuve. 2026. "Lacrosse Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lacrosse-statistics.
Sources & references
32 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level