32 Penalty Shots Needed to Decide Winner of Section 5 Girls AA
It took two overtimes and 32 penalty kicks before #2 seed Mounds View High School (13-5-2) could claim the Girls AA Section 5 Championship that books them a ticket to the State Quarterfinals. The Mustangs defeated #1 seed Centennial, which was the first loss of the season for the Cougars (17-1-0). Mounds View’s Alex Ronchak scored the game winning penalty kick which was her second successful attempt of the evening.
According to David LaVaque of the Star Tribune: Players on each team begged their coaches not to call on them. Each starting goaltender made diving saves and also took a turn as shooters. A Mounds View player hit the crossbar. A Centennial player hit the post. Three players missed the net entirely.
He also reported that Centennial missed chances to win with its 10th, 12th, 14th and 20th attempts.
“I think a lot of people saw that the better team didn’t win,” said Centennial coach Ginger Flohaug. “I give credit to Mounds View for playing defense and hoping we didn’t score.”
“This has to go down as one of our best section final victories,” said Mounds View coach Sharon Swallen. “When we talk about this game in the future, we’ll be able to smile.”
The full Star Tribune story with many more details and quotes.
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I was going to attend this match, but had to miss it due to family conflicts. I heard it was quite the match. Last time I put family before soccer!
Unbelievable stuff!
@SB – LOL!
You can’t make this stuff up in soccer
I had a few questions about the rules, if someone knows the answers.
1. In regulation play, a Centennial player was pushed down just outside the box, and a penalty was called with about 30 seconds on the clock. BR ran up to take the kick, and a MV girl stood about a foot in front of the ball. She did not move when asked by BR or the Ref. The clock kept ticking, so BR finally just kicked the ball. Could the ref have stopped the clock? No sour grapes, just curious.
2. In the shoot out, Centennial did not use players who were on the field. In fact, when it got to numbers six or seven, it was girls who had not even played in the game. The coach was basing it upon who perfomred the best when practicing PKs, but I thought you had to use players who were on the field.
3. When it came to the keepers, could the coach have switched to the second keeper, who is a better field player? Can you switch keepers in shoot outs? If I recall correctly, MA did that in a regional tournament, but HS rules might be different.
Thanks for any insights. Again, just curious about the rules. MV did what they needed – kept three people behind the ball at all times, and a 4th defender one on one with a Centennial player. Best of luck in State.
@Soccer Mom
1) if he had stopped the clock it should have been for time wasting and given the offending player a yellow card. Referee’s discretion. Having not seen the incident I can’t really comment if his action was appropriate but stopping the clock was an option available to him. As a former referee, that is the one element of the game, at the HS and College level, I did not like – not having the control of clock for time wasting such as substitutions. Sometimes a referee forgets he does not have control of the time on the scoreboard as he does in USSF/FIFA rule matches.
2) I would have to go to the HS league handbook, which I care not to. You should have some of your better officials at a Section Final Match. If they allowed it I would believe it to be legal. It would not have been in USSF/FIFA rule matches
3) This is a yes, I believe – A few ( maybe 5) years ago Totino Grace’s Girls team had two good goalies that not only alternated each half for playing time, but the Head Coach also had them rotate every other player in the SO. I believe it was the championship game which they ended up winning. Of course who knows if they have changed the HS rules since then.
It is amazing how peoples sense of accuracy is tainted by their own desires. I was at the game and yes a MVHS player did stand 3 yards (not 1 foot) from the ball and the ref didn’t do anything; however, it is funny that Soccer Mom forgot about the 4 CHS players who formed a wall 6 yards from the ball during a free kick in regulation and the ref didn’t back the wall up. In both cases neither player taking the free kick asked for the wall to be set properly and, here is where I am assuming, the ref must have thought in both cases if the player is not asking for it to be measured and they are not on top of the ball to obstruct it I am not going to set it. A lesson all players and spectators should learn. By the way, if the MVHS player was a foot from the ball BR would not have been able to put the ball into the box on the free kick as she did.
The referee can stop the clock at anytime he/she chooses. Just because the clock is on the scoreboard doesn’t mean the ref has no control over it. He/She simply signals to the announcers booth to stop the clock and if he/she feels it is not appropriately stopped he/she can put time back on. If the ref can’t remember that then they shouldn’t be a ref.
Just because there is 30 seconds left in regulation or overtime, doesn’t dictate wasting of time. If the MVHS player was guilty of it with 30 seconds left, then so was the 4 in the wall during regulation with 12-15 minutes left in the 1st half. Here is where referees would help their cause. If they treat the game differently based on the time left, the size of a player, or disparity in ability between teams then they will always anger people. If they don’t and they apply the rules equally regardless of time left, size of player, or disparity of ability between teams they will earn the respect of the players and fans. If they consistently officiate the game then that is all we can hope for. But for those of you who can’t see the forest through the trees, it is these types of cherry picking of events and facts that I find so reprehensible from spectators, players, and coaches.
HS rules are different when it comes to kicks from the spot. The coaches submit 10 players and those are the spot kick takers. The first 5 are mandatory and if no winner results from those then they go into 1 v 1 until a winner is determined. The coaches are not subjected to use players who were on the field at the end of the 2nd overtime, including the goal keeper. If they go through all 10 they start over on the list and play 1 v 1 until a winner is determined.