I think I know this one, but check me...

Discussion in 'Referee' started by Keep, Aug 28, 2003.

  1. Keep

    Keep New Member

    Aug 21, 2003
    Indianapolis, Indiana
    I'm working with a high school girls team as the goalkeeper coach (my wife is the asst coach). Anyway, our #1 keeper is a freshman who has never touched a soccer ball before July (shows you how deep our team is, huh??). Well I'd never thought about this before, because it's just a weird little tweak that I'm not sure about...

    When taking a goal kick, suppose the keeper gets started on the wrong foot or whatever, and wants to restart the run to the ball (after already taking a few steps). Is that legal? Logically I would think it'd be fine, since the ball is not in play at the time, and isn't in play until it leaves the 18 yd box. But I don't remember seeing anything specific about it in the LOTG, so thought I'd ask.
     
  2. pkCrouse

    pkCrouse New Member

    Apr 15, 2002
    Pennsylvania
    No problem Keep, so long as she doesn't make a habit of doing it to delay the restart. Its not like a golf swing - we don't penalize her for aborting the approach. ;)
     
  3. IASocFan

    IASocFan Moderator
    Staff Member

    Aug 13, 2000
    IOWA
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    As an aside, if she's having trouble with goal kicks, you might have someone else take them. No problem with the restart - unless you're up by one goal with time running out and the ref may see it as delaying the restart. :)
     
  4. Keep

    Keep New Member

    Aug 21, 2003
    Indianapolis, Indiana
    Okay that's what I thought. She's never done it in a game, just a few times in practice. In games we usually have someone else take the kicks now, until she gets more comfortable booting the ball. I just wanted to know what to expect in case she does shank one in a match. :)
     
  5. pkCrouse

    pkCrouse New Member

    Apr 15, 2002
    Pennsylvania
    Ooops, now "shanking" one is another matter. I thought we were talking about her stopping before she actually kicked the ball. If you mean she kicks it while off balance, she has to live with the result. If the ball clears the penalty area the ball is in play. If it rolls to a stop inside the penalty area, she takes the kick again.
     
  6. Keep

    Keep New Member

    Aug 21, 2003
    Indianapolis, Indiana
    I'm making myself less and less clear (brain is on the match I'm going to play in an hour instead of what I'm writing.) LOL I meant shank in the sense of screwing up the approach, not the actual kick itself.

    I know what I mean, dammit! Why don't the rest of you?? ;-)
     
  7. kevbrunton

    kevbrunton New Member

    Feb 27, 2001
    Edwardsburg, MI
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Keep,

    Keep one point in mind and stress this to your defenders -- if the ball doesn't make it out of the penalty area before being touched, it is not live -- it is just a rekick. There is no penalty for touching it inside the penalty area.

    The other night, the keeper mis-hit a ball and it was rolling slowly to the edge of the penalty area. The defender that it was rolling to stood there on the edge of the penalty area watching the ball come and watching an attacker coming to put him under pressure. He waited on the ball, was under IMMEDIATE pressure and wound up turning it over. I was standing there as the AR thinking, step inside and touch it.

    If he simply steps inside the penalty area and touches it, nothing happens. It's a rekick and he doesn't have to try to play a dangerous ball under pressure.

    So if you have a goal kick taker who can occasionally shank one, just put a defender at the edge of the penalty area and have them touch it before it comes out in those circumstances.

    Just keep in mind that if this is happening repeatedly and you're ahead, the referee could decide that you're doing it on purpose to waste time. But once a game shouldn't hurt you.
     
  8. jacathcart

    jacathcart New Member

    Oct 11, 2002
    Tacoma WA
    I know that just because something is tricky and sneaky it isn't necessarily verboten, but this gives me pause. When the keeper semi-whiffs and sends a dying quail through the area that will just barely make it out and a member of her team intentionally touches the ball to cause a rekick and take away the advantage the attackers might have from the poor goal kick that sounds like USB to me. Is there a potential for a caution here or do we just applaud a smart defender? There will be a re-kick in any case since the ball was never in play.\

    Jim
     
  9. Statesman

    Statesman New Member

    Sep 16, 2001
    The name says it all
    In this instance just go for the rekick. The player would always claim innocence. It wouldn't happen at a level where gamesmanship really is a big factor.
     
  10. HeadHunter

    HeadHunter Member

    May 28, 2003
    To me this seems like nothing more than the move of a very smart defender. I don't think you would card this anymore than you would card a defender for shepherding a ball over the touchline-not perfectly analogous but the best I could think of on short notice. Though I've never seen it happen, this just doesn't sound feel/wrong and in the absence of any clear directive, I would let it go
     
  11. Keep

    Keep New Member

    Aug 21, 2003
    Indianapolis, Indiana
    ::nodnod:: Put it this way, how often is a keeper going to shank a goalkick that badly in a match where the defender has enough (and quick enough) forethought to step in and cause the rekick?
     

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