I was present at this game and witnessed something I've never seen. The goal scored by Florida - with about 10 seconds to go in the first half, the referee whistled SC for a foul just outside their 18. Florida placed the ball and did a quick restart in an attempt to score before time ran out. SC intercepted the quick restart and kicked it away.
The referee stopped the clock and set the defenders 10 yards from the direct kick. Direct kick taken - upper 90 - ball game.
I'm perplexed as to why the referee stopped the clock. Even if the defenders had asked for 10 yards, the clock keeps running, eh??? Any referees out there offer a plausible explanation, other than perhaps he thought SC kicked the ball away in an effort to waste time? It would be so nice for a referee to admit his mortality and admit he made a mistake. We're human and can understand that!
Shelley and Jamie questioned him vehemently at the half and at the end of the game. I learned long ago it's practically useless to question referees; all coaches really want is consistency in a referee. It was easy to see the frustration Shelley and Jamie felt; Florida would have felt it, too, had the score been reversed. It wasn't just this call - there were plenty that Florida got the short end of, too!
Anybody else see this call differently??? Maybe I'm showing my humanity and made an error...
