I think it would be great if the players WOULD always make their own calls. Honesty and sportsmanship are always appreciated. Still, these are high school students, in a high-intensity competitive environment; I just don't think they can be practically expected to always do so accurately. The real problem arises when a player from one team tries to make her own call and the players from the other team continue play; then, unless the officials are really on the ball, you have a serious disadvantage situation.
More than once on the field I've seen a player go for a save on the line, realize she didn't quite get the ball back in before it went out, and back off, only to have the other team take possession, continue play, and gain a scoring opportunity. If the linesman is obstructed from a clear view, sometimes the call is not made. In a sport where games are often decided by a single goal and a split second of hesitation, players and coaches simply can't afford to assume that everyone is going to see the ball the same way and stop playing. It just makes more sense on a non-obvious call to assume the ball is in and continue play than to assume everyone sees it as out and stop, risking a giveaway to the other team. Also, possession after the ball goes out often goes to the team that grabs the ball first for the throw-in--regardles of who it really went out on--unless the officials are quick to make a correction. A lot of times, in a clash, the players honestly don't KNOW who touched the ball last.
The officials are the only truly objective, unbiased, and non-adrenaline-addled people on the field; I think it's perfectly reasonable for the players to rely on them to make the calls that aren't glaringly obvious so that nobody gets an advantage from differing player interpretations on the field. I know as a coach, I'd feel much more comfortable with the officials erring slightly on the side of control than depending on players in pitched competition to make their own fair, accurate, and unbiased calls that could potentially change the outcome of the match.
