Quote: So I had this whole thing written up, but I decided it wasn't worth it to post it, so I just have this:
There's a lot more factors involved in this goal than just a questioned call/noncall. I don't think anyone will argue that both teams played and worked hard in this game and I think it's a little much to be using such acerbic language as to accuse someone of "charging" a keeper as if it were an intentional malicious act. Player safety is important, but so is appreciating the game and the players and not putting them down after the fact, whether the act is intentional or not.
The clip looks different depending on the viewer's perspective. To me, it looks fairly obvious that she was going for the ball and then pitched forward off balance as she knocked into the keeper. As a player, I've seen similar things happen and not ever get called. Heck, I had one game with a 1v1 where she was coming at me hard and I was mid-sprint with the ball and as I tried to slip the ball past her, she came down on her knees and her nose collided with my knee mid-step. One broken nose and no goal later, no call.
At any rate, the point is, the rule in the game is that you cannot challenge when the keeper has the ball in her possession, not that you have to back off in a two foot radius when the ball is near her. A good striker continues to challenge the ball until it's in possession of the gk just like a good gk challenges the ball to get it into her possession when it's in her box, then the good striker does whatever they can to get out of the way.
I think we should be applauding the referees for taking the time to consult with each other before making any decision and try to keep away from using such charged language based off of grainy video and personal biases.
These kids played hard and they played their hearts out and I wish BE good luck tomorrow and I know Waccamaw will be waiting next season with even more heart to put into the game.
PS. Before anyone accuses me of not caring about player safety, I say this as someone who will hopefully be in a Orthopaedic Surgery residency in three years with a focus on youth and professional sports medicine for fellowship. And I want to do research on helping prevent ACL injuries in female soccer players.
