Reference · Printable · 2026-05-07

Water polo scoring modifiers cheat sheet.

Every modifier in the Eggbeater volunteer scorer, on a single page. Print it, tape it to the game-desk laptop, hand a spectator a tablet, and the cheat sheet covers every 'wait, which one do I tap?' moment of the day.

By Eggbeater Water Polo · May 7, 2026 · v1 · 2026 season · FINA-compliant

Every modifier in the Eggbeater volunteer scorer, on a single page. Print it, tape it to the game-desk laptop, hand a spectator a tablet, and the cheat sheet covers every "wait, which one do I tap?" moment of the day.

Print this page. Cmd / Ctrl + P · Letter or A4 · fits on one side. Tape it to the game-desk laptop before the first game and every volunteer who rotates through the scoring table has the answer in front of them.

Modifiers inside the player picker

These are the optional flags the picker offers after you tap an action button and pick a cap. None of them are required to log the event — they add the splits coaches actually use.

6v5 — GOAL

Tap when: The goal was scored during a man-up extra-player situation.

Why it matters: Separates power-play conversion rate from even-strength scoring. Coaches use this to evaluate the 6-on-5 system.

Backhand (BH) — GOAL

Tap when: The goal was finished with a backhand shot.

Why it matters: Backhand finishes are a high-skill close-range shot — coaches use this to credit the set and slip-screen scoring touch.

Counter — GOAL

Tap when: The goal came from a counter-attack (transition before the defense set up).

Why it matters: Counters tell a different story from set-offense goals — coaches use this to evaluate transition speed. Mutually exclusive with 6v5.

Forced Ball Under — TURNOVER

Tap when: The ball-handler was forced to push the ball under water. Tap the Turnover action and pick Forced Ball Under as the turnover kind — it is not a steal or a goal tag.

Why it matters: A forced ball under is the most pressure-driven turnover type — separates strong defensive plays from passive interceptions.

Inside 2m — TURNOVER · SAVE

Tap when: The turnover or save happened on a shot/play from inside the 2-meter line (set position).

Why it matters: Inside-2m saves are the highest-difficulty save type for goalkeepers; inside-2m turnovers expose set-play breakdowns.

Kickout — EXCL

Tap when: The exclusion was a major foul that drew a 20-second penalty (kickout).

Why it matters: Only kickouts count toward the FINA 3-kickout disqualification limit. Eggbeater enforces this automatically — see the rule callout below.

Common Foul — EXCL

Tap when: The foul was a common foul (free throw to opponent, no exclusion time).

Why it matters: Common fouls do not count toward the 3-kickout limit. Tracking them separately keeps player discipline stats honest.

Brutality — EXCL

Tap when: The foul was a brutality — the player is ejected immediately and the team serves a 4-minute exclusion.

Why it matters: Brutality is the most serious foul: instant ejection and a 4-minute man-down. Logging it flags the discipline incidents directors need to review.

Earned — EARNED EXCL

Check when: The player drew an exclusion against them — i.e. the opposing player got kicked out for fouling them.

Why it matters: Earned exclusions track offensive pressure. Set players and drivers earn the most. This is logged on the player who got fouled, not the one who fouled.

#10

5m Penalty — GOAL · MISS

Tap when: Tap the 5m action button when the play was a 5-meter penalty shot. Pick whether it was made (Goal · 5m) or missed.

Why it matters: 5m conversion percentage separates pressure shooters from streaky ones — separately tracked from open-play goals.

🚩 The 3-kickout BENCHED rule (FINA)

A player gets disqualified for the rest of the game after their 3rd kickout. This is FINA rule 22.6 — earned exclusions and common fouls do not count toward the limit.

Eggbeater enforces this automatically. After a player’s 3rd kickout, the player picker shows the cap with a red BENCHED chip and blocks any further on-field events for them. The tournament director’s Live Dashboard shows a tile of Players Near Limit (2 kickouts) and Players Benched (3+).

🕐 The game clock

The board opens with the period and clock already seeded. Tap the clock to set an exact M:SS, then Start / Stop to run it and Reset to zero it. Sprint Won logs the swim-off, and on iPhone the volume buttons are a hands-free Start/Stop shortcut. The wall-clock keeps running accurately even if the phone locks or the app is backgrounded.

Prefer not to run a clock? Flip to Clock OFF for period-only scoring — the running clock and its controls disappear, the period bar (Q1–Q4) and every action button stay, and events still record real timestamps and broadcast in real time. Spectator-side surfaces (Live Activity, Watch app, public tournament page) hide the clock label too when the scorer chose OFF — no half-empty 0:00 ghost.

Action button quick reference

Button	Tap when…	Picker asks for…
Goal	The ball goes in the back of the net during open play.	Cap who scored, then optional 6v5 / Backhand / Counter tag.
Assist	The pass that directly led to a goal.	Cap who made the assist (different from scorer).
Attempt	Shot taken that did not score and was not saved (off-frame, post, blocked).	Cap who shot.
Steal	Defender takes possession from a shooting/passing opponent.	Cap who stole.
Turnover	Possession lost without a defender taking it.	Cap who turned it over, then the kind — shot-clock violation, team dump, inside 2m, forced ball under, opp steal or other.
Block	Field player blocks a shot before it reaches the goal.	Cap who blocked.
Excl	Player drew or committed an exclusion / penalty.	Cap, then Kickout / Common Foul / Brutality / Earned.
5m	5-meter penalty shot taken (made or missed).	Cap who shot, then made/missed.
GK Save	Goalkeeper stops a shot.	Goalkeeper cap, then optional Inside 2m checkbox.

When in doubt

Situation	What to log
Kickout vs. common foul?	Watch the bench/pool. If the player swims to the corner and waits 20 seconds → Kickout. If play continues with a free throw → Common Foul.
Goal but unsure of scorer cap?	Tap Goal anyway, then choose Team in the picker. The goal counts; cap-level stats stay honest.
Mistakenly tapped the wrong action?	Tap Undo. The most recent event is removed and reflected in the score immediately.
Player picker shows BENCHED?	Don’t override. The 3-kickout limit is enforced — pick a different cap or cancel.
End of the game?	Tap End Game, review the score, then confirm. If your tournament/league admin enabled referee sign-off (off by default), enter the referee’s name to finalize and the spectator app shows ✓ Signed off by [referee].

EGGBEATER.APP/BLOG/SCORING-MODIFIERS-CHEAT-SHEET · Updated 2026-05-07

Hosting a tournament? Make scoring this easy for every game-desk volunteer.

Brackets, live scoring, branded spectator page, and an optional referee sign-off you can require before the score goes final — out of the box. The 3-kickout rule is enforced automatically and every modifier in this cheat sheet ships in the volunteer scorer.

See the tournament platform →