the.com/field goal

means A score made by kicking the ball through the goal posts (three points in football, or two/three in basketball depending on distance) instead of scoring by other means.

from From 'field' (the playing area) plus 'goal' (the scoring target) — straightforwardly describing a goal scored from open play 'in the field,' as opposed to other ways of scoring. The term dates to 19th-century American football and basketball, before the forward pass and jump shot existed, when distinguishing a kicked or thrown score made from the run of play was a useful bit of bookkeeping — the name simply stuck even as the games evolved around it.